French PM vows ‘massive’ police deployment for new demonstrations on October 24

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday (October 20, 2026) authorities would mobilise a “massive” security presence next weekend, with organisers announcing plans for new protests after riots erupted on the sidelines of nationwide demonstrations.

“The deployment for next Saturday will be massive,” Mr. Lecornu said in Parliament, acknowledging that the security operation for the protests last weekend had been “too static and not mobile enough.”

People watch a burned-out car after a quiet night Monday under curfew, the first since weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
AP

Mr. Lecornu accused ultra-left radical groups of forging an “insurrectionary plan” over the weekend on the sidelines of nationwide protests over the cost of living.

Addressing a raucous session of Parliament, Mr. Lecornu condemned “the planning, in certain locations, of an insurrectionary plan led by far-left and ultra-left fringe groups”. He added that the authorities would not tolerate such groups “marching on the Elysee or Matignon”, referring to the offices and residences of the president and premier in Paris.