EUROPE 🔗 Part of: Europe Protests and Unrest 2026 (25) · 02 Nov 2026 · 06:43 GMT ·2 min read

France opens attempted murder probe into petrol bomb attacks on police during nationwide unrest

French prosecutors are investigating the attempted murder of public officials following a petrol bomb attack on security forces in Paris on October 31, 2026.

NEUTRALITY 79 · BALANCED· 4 sources

DW English

French prosecutors are investigating the attempted murder of public officials following a petrol bomb attack on security forces in Paris on October 31, 2026. The incident occurred during protests that unions reported drew nearly 500,000 participants. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the violence as "extraordinary." Authorities recorded 159 law enforcement injuries and more than 770 arrests nationwide. The unrest, which also spread to Lyon and Marseille, followed a third weekend of demonstrations.

Context

Nationwide protests in France continued for three consecutive weekends. The demonstrations merged with broader urban unrest. This merger complicated crowd management for security forces. These events preceded widespread violence on October 31, 2026.

Rioters targeted security forces with firebombs, paving stones, and glass bottles during those clashes. Similar youth-led demonstrations regarding living costs and school infrastructure also turned violent in Germany on October 31, 2026, leading to looting and clashes with police in cities like Frankfurt, Berlin, and Hamburg. One officer reported the sensation of skin that stings after being set alight by a molotov cocktail. Authorities arrested more than 770 individuals across France during the protests.

Supportive perspectives

French prosecutors opened an investigation into the attempted murder of persons vested with public authority. The inquiry follows a petrol bomb attack on security forces in Paris on October 31, 2026. Investigators are examining the use of firebombs against officers during the protests.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the violence during the October 31, 2026, protests as "extraordinary." He noted that security forces faced severe conditions on the ground.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally party, stated that those responsible for the firebomb attack must face severe punishment.
The gendarmerie reported that 13 members of a single unit were injured during the incident in Paris on October 31, 2026. One officer reported feeling "skin that stings" after being set alight by a molotov cocktail.

Critical perspectives

Violence occurred in multiple French cities, including Marseille, Grenoble, Bordeaux, Lyon, and Toulouse on October 31, 2026.
Paris prosecutors reported 105 arrests in the capital. As of November 1, 2026, 89 people remained in custody. At least 22 of those in custody are minors.
French trade unions estimated that nearly 500,000 people participated in nationwide protests on October 31, 2026.
On October 31, 2026, protesters threw glass bottles, paving stones, and firebombs at a gendarme unit. The officer reported that they also threw shards of glass.