Masked protesters carried out acts of vandalism during a major demonstration in central Paris on Thursday, according to police, as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across France for a nationwide day of action organised by trade unions.

Officers intervened immediately “to stop the violence and isolate the troublemakers”, the Paris police prefecture said.

French newspaper Le Parisien reported that an estate agency on Boulevard Voltaire was believed to have been damaged during the unrest.

The tensions also forced presidential hopeful Raphaël Glucksmann to withdraw from the Paris demonstration.

French media reported that Glucksmann had become surrounded by activists at Place de la République, preventing him from continuing with the march.

According to close associates of the presidential hopeful who spoke to BFMTV, “the safety conditions were not met, in coordination with law enforcement”, and “he could no longer continue along the march”.

Glucksmann and his team consequently decided to leave the demonstration.

⚠️ IMAGINES CHOCS À PARIS ! Charge d’une violence inouïe, les manifestants matraqués dans le cortège #Paris ##ManifestationsLycéennes #Manifestation #BlocusLycées ##Paris #ViolencesPolicieres #5Novembre2026 #France #INFO https://t.co/587wHby87t

— INFOS RÉVOLUTION (@Jujuukfj) November 5, 2026

Large turnout at demonstrations across France

By 1pm local time, approximately 270,000 people had participated in nearly 200 demonstrations across the country as part of the nationwide day of action organised by trade unions, according to figures released by the French Interior Ministry.

The total did not include Paris, where the main demonstration began later in the afternoon.

Turnout was nevertheless reported to be higher than during the demonstrations held outside the French capital the previous weekend.

⚠️ IMAGINES CHOCS À PARIS ! Charge d’une violence inouïe, les manifestants matraqués dans le cortège #Paris ##ManifestationsLycéennes #Manifestation #BlocusLycées ##Paris #ViolencesPolicieres #5Novembre2026 #France #INFO https://t.co/587wHby87t

— INFOS RÉVOLUTION (@Jujuukfj) November 5, 2026