France is grappling with one of its most severe waves of social unrest in years, as widespread protests over the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services have escalated into violence, looting, and clashes with police.
The unrest has also triggered political accusations, with French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accusing the radical left of seeking to foment “deep unrest” in the country ahead of the presidential election, following violence on the sidelines of protests over the previous weekend.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Lecornu made the remarks on Monday after a joint ministerial crisis meeting. He warned that “there is an obscure network that could become active and may even seek to revisit the timetable for the presidential election or even whether it should take place.” He also announced that he would hold a “special meeting” with the interior minister and intelligence services to discuss the issue.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu: You may have noticed on social media that many looters are geniuses. They had the brilliant idea of not wearing a hood or a mask. So a very significant, massive judicial operation is starting today. In the Paris area alone, I believe nearly 200 investigators from the Paris police prefecture will analyze images and videos.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 19, 2026
Meanwhile, the anger has spread beyond France to other European countries. Cities across Italy, including Milan and Turin, have witnessed similar confrontations during demonstrations against the rising cost of living, while protests in Albania have intensified amid allegations of corruption, a shortage of job opportunities, and declining education standards.
More than 500,000 people took part in marches across dozens of French cities in a movement that brought together student protests that had continued for nearly a month and broader public discontent over rising prices, cuts in public spending, and deteriorating essential services.
The demonstrations initially focused on conditions in schools and teacher shortages in working-class suburbs before expanding to encompass wider demands related to inequality and the cost of living.
In Paris, police recorded 855 arrests, an unprecedented figure for the capital. The total number of people detained nationwide exceeded 1,800, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who also reported that more than 500 police officers had been injured. Demonstrators were also injured, while one protest participant died after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Central Paris was left strewn with rubbish and looted goods, with smashed bicycles scattered across the streets and fire damage visible on the facades of buildings and shops. Similar scenes were reported in Marseille and Lyon, while damage extended to other cities in northern, eastern, and southwestern France.
In Limoges, rioters set fire to the historic town hall, a building listed as protected heritage. In Bordeaux, a group of masked individuals broke into the residence of a local official. The interior minister said hundreds of shops had been damaged.
On Monday morning, October 19, students also blockaded the entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris to express their “support” for secondary-school students taking part in the protests and denounce what they described as “police repression,” according to the museum’s management and two trade unions.
The museum was unable to open at its usual time of 9 a.m. A notice posted by the protesters near the entrance declared: “We are proud to announce that we are closing the entrance to the largest museum in the world.”
Italy
Several Italian cities witnessed clashes similar to those in France, as demonstrations against the rising cost of living turned violent, reflecting the spread of social discontent beyond French borders.
Italy’s ANSA news agency reported that Milan was the main flashpoint. Masked young people dressed in black hurled fireworks and bottles at police in Piazza del Duomo, in the city center, and erected barricades that forced security forces to retreat temporarily and wait for reinforcements.
Clashes also spread to Turin, Bologna, and Bergamo, where demonstrators threw stones and fireworks at police. In Milan alone, at least four police officers and around 20 protesters were injured, while more than 50 young people were arrested, half of them minors.
Cost-of-living protests turned violent in Milan for a second day on Sunday. Police clashed with demonstrators and stores were looted in scenes similar to those in neighbouring France. https://t.co/IPHScCeaDg
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 19, 2026
Albania
In Albania, the protests took on a more explicitly political character, with growing calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign amid allegations of corruption, a lack of jobs, and declining educational standards.
Student-led demonstrations swept through the capital, Tirana, before spreading to other cities. Protesters set fire to government buildings and banks and ripped up paving stones to throw at police, who responded with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets.
The protests represent the biggest challenge to Rama since he took office in 2013 and won a fourth term last year. They follow months of demonstrations that had largely remained peaceful.
Albanian police said 388 people had been charged with offenses committed during the demonstrations, while dozens of police officers and protesters were injured.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)