Protesters hold up placards in Paris on 17 October 2026, the day the cost-of-living protests turned into riots. (Photo: FreCha, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

France heads into a tense weekend: dockworkers walk out on Friday, protesters return to the streets on Saturday, and a national strike is set for 5 November. Our France in Turmoil dossier tracks the unrest from the start.

Unions say a meeting with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on 21 October brought them nothing. Since then, the anger over pay, pensions and budget cuts has only hardened.

• Friday 30 October: A 24-hour strike at French ports, called by the CGT dockers’ federation.
• Saturday 31 October: New street protests, with Yellow Vest groups calling for rallies.
• Thursday 5 November: Five union confederations back a nationwide day of action.
• Prediction markets: Polymarket puts Marine Le Pen at 42.9% to win the next presidency (7:20 p.m. ET, 28 October 2026).

Talks That Went Nowhere

Lecornu met union leaders for about two and a half hours at Matignon, the prime minister’s office, on Wednesday 21 October. Sophie Binet, head of the CGT (France’s biggest union federation), said the government offered no measures and no acknowledgment of the unions’ demands.

The CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa and FSU, five of France’s main union groups, now back a day of action on Thursday 5 November. It will focus on pay, pensions, public services and the budget.

Ports and Streets First

On Friday 30 October, the CGT ports-and-docks federation has called a 24-hour dockworkers’ strike. The federation says activity could fall by 95% at ports including Le Havre, Rouen, Dunkirk, Calais and Marseille-Fos.

The strike is part of a European call by dockworkers’ unions against war and the arming of ports, with pay and budget demands added.On Saturday 31 October, Yellow Vest groups, the street movement that began in 2018, have called for rallies outside town halls and the National Assembly.Education unions, including the left-wing SUD Éducation, are expected to join in some places.

How Big Was the Last Protest?

The Interior Ministry counted 410,000 demonstrators across France on Saturday 24 October, 110,000 of them in Paris. The CGT said nearly 800,000 took part.

Police reported 1,314 arrests that day, down from 2,628 a week earlier. The ministry counted 53 injured officers, against 1,144 on 17 October.

The Money Behind the Anger

The protests began with student complaints about school staffing and spread to wages, living costs and pensions. Unions also object to the roughly €54 billion (about US$60 billion at EUR/USD 1.116, RT) savings effort Lecornu announced on 17 September for the 2027 budget.

What Prediction Markets Say

On Polymarket, a crypto-based betting platform, about US$159 million is traded on who wins the next French presidential election. Marine Le Pen trades at 42.9%, Édouard Philippe at 17.5% and David Lisnard at 14.8%.

Odoxa, a French polling firm, found in a poll published on 27 October that 74% of respondents named Le Pen among those likely to benefit from the unrest. Prices are bets, not polls, and were read at 7:20 p.m. ET on 28 October 2026.

Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

What It Means for You

Travellers should expect delays and closures on Friday and Saturday, and wider disruption on 5 November. Check the national rail operator SNCF, the Paris transit authority RATP, airports and port notices before moving goods or people.

French local time is Central European Time (UTC+1), five hours ahead of New York until US clocks change on 1 November.

What Is Not Known

The size of the 5 November strike is not yet known. Nor is whether the CGT will formally join the 31 October marches.

Local routes and start times depend on city prefectures, the local state offices that approve demonstrations. The Interior Ministry’s turnout and the unions’ figures differ widely.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the next key dates for protests in France?

Friday 30 October brings a 24-hour port strike. Saturday 31 October has street protests, and Thursday 5 November a nationwide day of action.

How many people protested on 24 October?

The Interior Ministry counted 410,000 across France. The CGT union federation said nearly 800,000.

Sources: French Interior Ministry, CGT, CFDT, Odoxa, Polymarket, French government.

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error