The government sent 10,000 more police and gendarmes onto the streets than it did on October 17. On that day, protests over the cost of living and public services ended in unrest, and business groups said thousands of businesses were damaged or looted. Helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannons backed up the officers this time. Nuñez visited security forces in Paris and said, "We are ready." Pre-emptive searches turned up fireworks, ball bearings and other potential weapons. The Paris Police Prefecture said officers carried out 635 checks at the start of the day and arrested several suspects, and train stations and public transport were placed under heavy controls.

Authorities moved the main Paris march from Bastille to Porte d'Italie, on the city's southeastern edge. An administrative court upheld the change in an emergency ruling. Union representative Murielle Guilbert called the relocation "scandalous," and hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon criticized it before joining the front of the march. There he praised the turnout and urged President Emmanuel Macron to heed the protesters' demands. Hundreds had gathered at Porte d'Italie by midday ahead of the 2 p.m. start, and the march began calmly.

Much of central Paris shut down. The Louvre, the Orsay Museum, the Picasso Museum and the Grand Palais closed, along with more than 20 metro stations. Shopkeepers boarded up storefronts after business groups urged retailers to stay shut. Art Basel organizers canceled their weekend program, and some venues tied to Sunday's NFL game in Paris between the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers were closed. A soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais was postponed until Monday.

In Lyon, where demonstrations were banned, about 150 protesters tried to block a road before police dispersed them with tear gas. A 21-year-old student there described the police response as "really mobile." Nice banned all gatherings and deployed special units, Montpellier banned some rallies, and several cities imposed assembly bans and curfews. Marches went ahead in Marseille.

Student groups have issued a joint 10-point plan. It calls for 250,000 more places in higher education and an end to selection through Parcoursup, the national university admissions system. The plan also seeks more teachers, repairs to schools and universities, an extra 200 euros a month in student grants and a rent freeze in public student housing. Workers and unions are pressing for higher wages and pensions to help households keep up with rising costs.

The demonstrations add to the pressure on Macron in the final stretch of his presidency, with his popularity at its lowest since he took office in 2017. He met high school representatives on Friday. They said he had promised to overhaul university admissions, and they called for protests to continue until concrete measures are formally announced. The Yellow Vests have called for more demonstrations on October 31 against what they describe as the government's "authoritarian drift."

In Orléans, 120 kilometres south of Paris, Marine Le Pen's National Rally opened a two-day congress ahead of next spring's presidential election. Police put the number of counter-protesters at 11,000, while organizers said up to 26,000 took part. About 3,000 security and rescue personnel were deployed. Marchers chanted "Macron resign" and "Le Pen in prison." On Friday, a gunman suspected of acting out of Islamophobic hatred killed one person and wounded four others west of Paris.

Other European capitals braced for protests too. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni sent an additional 500 soldiers to Milan, where looting and clashes with police broke out a week earlier. Around 5,000 police and other personnel were expected there, supported by drone surveillance, railway station checks and rapid-response units. Rome tightened security around luxury shopping streets and major public spaces ahead of an anti-war march and a rally by right-wing students.

In Brussels, police used tear gas and pepper spray against hundreds of mainly young protesters who were demanding more education funding and accusing police of excessive violence. Student-led protesters in Albania planned a new rally in Tirana after days of violent unrest that has injured more than 300 people, including police officers. They are demanding better education facilities, lower tuition fees, action against corruption and the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Thousands of retirees marched in Madrid to demand protection for public pensions ahead of next month's snap election, and protesters in Lisbon prepared to march for affordable housing.