EUROPE 🔗 Part of: Europe Protests and Unrest 2026 (19) · 25 Oct 2026 · 05:40 GMT ·2 min read

Far-Right Clashes Erupt at Banned Nice Protest as Security Forces Deploy Tear Gas and Water Cannons

Far-right militants and demonstrators clashed in Nice on October 24, 2026.

NEUTRALITY 55 · MIXED· 4 sources

Euronews

Far-right militants and demonstrators clashed in Nice on October 24, 2026. Three people sustained injuries and were treated by firefighters, and police arrested 63 individuals. Despite a prefecture ban on public gatherings, which was upheld by the Nice administrative court following a challenge by the MRAP Nice Grasse and France Palestine Solidarité associations, approximately 2,300 people marched through the city. Authorities deployed 450 security personnel and 280 municipal officers to manage the unrest. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds.

Context

The French government announced a massive security operation involving military forces for the weekend of October 24-25, 2026, following nationwide demonstrations on October 17 that resulted in 1,200 arrests and 1,000 injuries. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez ordered the deployment of 70,000 police and gendarmes nationwide for the weekend to counter threats of violence and looting. President Emmanuel Macron condemned foreign leaders for exploiting the civil unrest for political gain after they suggested the country was overrun by migrants and Islamists.

Protests began in late September 2026. High school students led the initial demonstrations. They demanded increased funding and staffing. Civil society groups joined the movement by mid-October 2026. They protested the rising cost of living. Nationwide demonstrations took place on October 17, 2026. Police arrested 2,700 people during these events. Looting broke out across the country. The unrest preceded the French presidential election scheduled for April 2027.

Supportive perspectives

The administrative court rejected a legal challenge to the demonstration ban filed by MRAP Nice Grasse and France Palestine Solidarité.
Authorities deployed 450 security personnel and 280 municipal police officers to secure the city. These units maintained public order.
Police dispersed 2,300 participants using tear gas and water cannons. Actu.fr reported that officers employed tear gas and a water launcher during the operation.

Critical perspectives

Three protesters suffered injuries during clashes with far-right militants. Both groups engaged in physical violence.
According to a police source cited by Actu.fr, 11 individuals identified as far-right militants were arrested near the Hôtel des Postes during the unrest.
Police arrested 63 people in Nice on October 24, 2026. According to the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture, 2,300 people marched despite a state ban on public gatherings that was upheld by the Nice administrative court.