France mobilised around 70,000 police and gendarmes across the country on Saturday as the Yellow Vest movement staged what organisers called 'Act II' — a nationwide day of action following the turbulent October 17th marches that drew some 550,000 people. The new mobilisation united the gilets jaunes with the CGT trade union, student groups and several political parties under the shared slogan 'Macron must go', linking anger over purchasing power to broader frustration with the government.

In Paris, the city's administrative court rejected a last-minute appeal by an inter-union coalition, forcing the march onto a restricted route along the Boulevards des Maréchaux between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes, far from the symbolically charged Bastille-to-Nation route the groups had sought. Intelligence services warned of the risk of mobile rioting groups, including far-left factions, prompting a heavy police and military presence well beyond the official parade route. Major Paris landmarks including the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay closed for the day as a precaution, and a night-time curfew remained in parts of the capital.

The movement's grievances centre on soaring living costs and the erosion of public services, with previous protests having spiralled into violence that saw the Limoges town hall set alight and more than 3,000 shops looted or damaged across France. The government announced interest-free loans for businesses affected by the earlier unrest. Organisers have already announced a third act for October 31st, ahead of a broader union mobilisation planned for November.