Hundreds of thousands of mostly young protesters took to the streets across France on Saturday for a third consecutive weekend of demonstrations over living costs and education, with smaller protests in Germany and Italy and a heavy police deployment across French cities.

France's government estimated that 320,000 people protested nationwide, down from 410,000 last weekend and more than 500,000 on 17 October, when demonstrations deteriorated into some of the country's worst rioting in years. Organisers put the turnout much higher. All three figures are government estimates, which organisers dispute. About 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed, and marches in Paris were rerouted to the edge of the capital.

The interior ministry said 15,000 people were taking part in protests in Paris, and student unions called for blockades of schools and universities. Leftist party La France Insoumise's 2027 presidential candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan joined the demonstrations.

How the numbers compare

The trajectory is downward but still large. Government estimates put 410,000 people on the streets on 24 October and more than 500,000 on 17 October, when the marches ended in rioting and looting. Organisers dispute all three figures and say the real turnout is higher. Arrests are also down: about 300 nationwide so far this weekend, against 800 at the same point last weekend.

The student dimension

Student unions called for blockades of schools and universities, and at Porte de Bagnolet on the eastern edge of Paris thousands gathered behind a line of students who led the march. The government rerouted marches to the capital's edge, a decision that reduced the visual impact of the demonstrations in central Paris while keeping the crowds away from the most sensitive sites.

The policing warning

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a "very high risk" of disorder, especially after dark on Halloween, and said protesters who cover their faces with costumes could face fines. The warning was aimed at the practice of masked groups joining marches, which police say has been behind clashes and looting.

Authorities reported about 300 arrests nationwide so far, down from 800 at the same point last weekend. Police had arrested thousands of people following riots and looting that marred the largely peaceful marches on the previous two Saturdays.

Why masks became the issue

Nuñez's warning about Halloween costumes was not incidental. Police say masked groups have joined the marches and been behind clashes and looting, and the interior minister said covering faces could result in fines. In Germany, police cancelled a march in Cologne because of masked protesters, which shows the same policing problem appearing in a second country.

What the protests are about

The demonstrations are led by youth and student groups and centre on the cost of living and education. Organisers say the movement is a response to years of squeezed budgets, rising rents and cuts to public services, and they reject the framing that the protests are primarily about violence.

"The narrative of violence is an attempt to distract from our demands," organisers said, according to the Guardian's live coverage. That line matters because the government's public messaging has focused on public order, while the organisers want the argument to be about wages, housing and school funding.

The German and Italian angle

Youth-led demonstrations were also reported in Germany and Italy. In Germany, police cancelled a march in Cologne because of masked protesters, and protests were reported in more than 30 German cities.

The spread matters for how European governments read the moment. France's protests are the largest, but the same grievances, housing costs, insecure work and strained public services, are present across the continent, and the youth-led character of the movement has made it harder for established parties to channel.

The political stakes

For President Emmanuel Macron's government, the protests are a test of whether it can keep order without turning a cost-of-living argument into a broader challenge. For the opposition, including Mélenchon's LFI, the marches are an opportunity to convert street energy into electoral support ahead of the 2027 presidential race.

The comparison with earlier rounds is instructive. Turnout is falling from the peak, arrests are down, and the government is emphasizing order. But the movement has persisted for three weekends, which is longer than most French protest cycles, and it has spread beyond Paris.

What to watch

Three things will shape what happens next. First, whether the turnout stabilises or keeps falling, which determines whether the movement has momentum. Second, whether masked groups provoke the kind of clashes that shift public sympathy toward the government. Third, whether the student unions can sustain blockades into the school week.

For readers following European politics and living costs, our coverage of the UK energy price cap explains how energy bills feed household budgets, the Canada-EU alliance shows how governments are repositioning amid economic pressure, and the Obama-Trump arts rally is a reminder that street politics and electoral politics increasingly feed each other.

The confirmed facts are the turnout figures, the police deployment, the arrests, the ministerial warning and the German and Italian protests. Whether the movement grows into an electoral force is not yet known.