France's Yellow Vests announce 'Act II' of protests on October 24, 31
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "France's Yellow Vests announce 'Act II' of protests on October 24, 31")
A protester walks in the smoke at Place de l'Opera during ongoing protest action against the "high cost of living", in Lille, northern France, on October 17, 2026 as part of a nationwide call for mobilisation bringing together various groups expressing their anger: former "Yellow Vests", secondary school and university students, climate activists and even farmers. Photograph: (AFP)
France's Yellow Vest movement has announced new protests for October 24 and 31 after a weekend of unrest, mass arrests and clashes that left nearly 1,000 police injured.
A yellow vest coordination that took part in the October 17 mobilisation announced Monday new actions for October 24 and October 31. The movement, which dubbed Saturday's planned day of action "Act II," published a map of protests on its website that already lists several dozen events.
Benjamin Ball, the site's editor, told AFP there is clearly a huge push for an Act II. The organisers are also demanding that President Emmanuel Macron step down, and Lyon Mag, a Lyon-based outlet, counted 76 actions listed so far.
The call follows a weekend of unrest. Between 550,000 and 800,000 people marched on October 17, according to the figures reported, and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said nearly 2,400 people were arrested, and 997 police and gendarmes were injured, seven of them seriously. Paris police reported 855 arrests in the capital, which they called a record.
Also Read: Australian MP Helen Haines in critical condition after being hit by SUV
Macron addressed the nation Sunday evening. He stressed that investigations should move quickly, with judicial follow-up. The speech lasted about eight minutes. Opposition parties have criticised it, Bruno Retailleau, president of Les Républicains, called the address "very worrying" on X. He also said Macron "appears totally overwhelmed. Greens leader Marine Tondelier said Macron should have offered a mea culpa rather than summoning party leaders to Matignon.
The original yellow vest movement began in November 2018, partly in response to fuel tax increases, before expanding to purchasing power, taxation and wider political grievances. This month's mobilisation revived it around cost-of-living anger, with high school students, workers and other groups joining.
The coming days are uncertain. October 24 falls in the All Saints school holidays, when the high schoolers who have driven the movement since September are dispersed. The unions CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa and FSU have separately called a national strike day for November 5.
