Europe protests: nearly 1,000 arrests in France, Milan stays calm

Key takeaways

• Thousands of young people marched through Milan on Saturday, October 24, under heavy guard from soldiers and police, and the main march stayed peaceful, according to AP.
• France's interior ministry counted about 410,000 protesters nationwide, while the CGT union claimed about 800,000. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said arrests were nearing 1,000 by Saturday evening.
• Riot police in Tirana, Albania, used water cannon after some protesters set fire to government buildings, AP reported. Rome and Turin saw brief clashes.
• Marches in Madrid and Lisbon over pensions and housing passed off peacefully.
• Living costs, education, public services, pensions, housing and anti-war demands were the main grievances, but they varied from country to country.

The Europe protests of October 24 ended with close to 1,000 arrests in France after evening clashes, while the youth march in Milan, watched by about 500 extra soldiers, passed without violence. Crowds also marched in Spain, Portugal and Albania.

What happened in the Europe protests on October 24

Milan and the rest of Italy

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government sent 500 additional soldiers to Milan on top of the hundreds already stationed there. They worked alongside about 5,000 police and other security staff, according to AP. Euronews reported that the authorities also used drone surveillance and closed central districts around the Duomo to marches. Luxury shops in the fashion district boarded up their windows before the march.

The Milan march finished peacefully at the Polytechnic University, more than 3 km from the centre, AP reported. Police briefly isolated about 30 far-right activists who chanted anti-immigrant slogans. Some marchers dumped manure outside the national energy regulator and burned an oversized mock electricity bill.

In Rome, luxury shopping streets were sealed off and a small group tried to get into the Colosseum. Police used a water cannon briefly at a separate anti-war march near Piazza della Repubblica. AP also reported short clashes in Turin. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said police had managed to "isolate and contain the violent fringes, with balance and professionalism," CBS News reported.

France

According to figures reported by France 24 and CBS News, the French interior ministry counted about 410,000 people at roughly 300 demonstrations, including 110,000 in Paris. The CGT union put national turnout at about 800,000 and Paris turnout at 250,000. Up to 70,000 police and gendarmes were on duty across the country.

Speaking shortly before 20:00 Paris time (about 18:00 UTC), Nuñez said: "As I speak to you, we are at nearly 1,000 arrests." He said the number would likely rise. Riot police fired tear gas in several cities, including Paris, Nantes and Lyon. Nuñez blamed "an extremely elevated level of violence" later in the day on breakaway groups, but said the marches themselves went well and looting was "far smaller" than the previous Saturday. Paris prosecutors reported 64 arrests in the capital, CBS News said.

Critics challenged the police response. Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused police on X of firing tear gas into the crowd. Murielle Guilbert, a union representative, called it "scandalous" that protesters could not march where they wished, CBS News reported.

Albania, Spain and Portugal

In Tirana, police used water cannon on large groups, and some protesters set government buildings on fire and threw objects at officers, AP reported. Al Jazeera also reported violent clashes there. Students are demanding lower tuition, more education funding and an end to corruption, and some have joined calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. Rama has called for dialogue and warned that violent protesters will face penalties.

In Madrid, thousands of retirees and others marched peacefully against any privatisation of public pensions, ahead of a snap election next month. In Lisbon, protesters marched against government measures that ease the cap on yearly rent increases. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro says the changes will strengthen the rental market.

Figures as of 03:00 UTC on October 25, 2026.

What we know and what we don't know yet

• Known: Milan's march passed without serious incident. France's preliminary arrest count was close to 1,000 on Saturday evening. Tirana saw the worst property damage of the day.
• Not yet known: Final arrest and injury totals for France and Italy. In Toulouse, the local prefecture reported one person seriously injured in the hand, but how it happened had not been confirmed.
• Disputed: Turnout in France. Union and government counts differ by about 390,000 people, and neither side has explained the gap.

Background

The October 24 marches came one week after violent protests in Italy and France, when about 3,000 French businesses were damaged or looted, according to Nuñez. In Milan, police arrested 45 people over two days, 34 of them minors, AP reported. Italy responded with a new security decree that sent troops to Milan. In France, high school students began protesting in September over school conditions. The movement later grew to include unions and the "Yellow Vests," who have called another day of action for October 31.

For earlier coverage, see our explainers on Italy's security decree and the troops sent to Milan, what French unions want from Lecornu, why Albanian students want Rama to resign and the Barcelona riots. Our global protest tracker follows the wider wave.

What it means

The heavy security in Milan appears to have prevented a repeat of last week's looting there. France, however, still saw clashes in several cities despite a deployment of up to 70,000 officers. Governments in Rome and Paris now face pressure from two sides: business owners want firm policing, while unions and opposition parties say protest rights are being squeezed. The main dates to watch next are the French Yellow Vests' call for October 31 and Spain's snap election next month.

Sources

• AP (via ABC News): Hundreds of soldiers sent to Milan as protesters march across Europe
• AP (via NBC News): Soldiers guard center of Milan as thousands of protesters march across European cities
• Euronews: Italy's cities in security 'lockdown' for Saturday protests
• France 24: Nearly 1,000 arrests on the sidelines of Saturday's protests, says government
• CBS News: More than 1,000 arrested in France as protesters and police clash in several cities
• Al Jazeera: Violence breaks out across Europe after another day of protests