The Yellow Vests demonstration scheduled for Saturday, October 31, 2026, in Paris will not be allowed to follow the route originally requested, between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Concorde. In an order published on October 30, the Paris Police Prefecture partially bans the demonstration and rejects the route, which was due to pass through République, the Grands Boulevards, Opéra and Madeleine. The authorities also rejected the Bastille–Nation route declared by the unions, proposing instead a march between Porte de Bagnolet and Porte de Charenton. The decision has already prompted protests from the organizers.
The march could ultimately take the Boulevards des Maréchaux in eastern Paris. In an order published on October 30, the Paris Police Prefecture sets out a route linking Porte de Bagnolet, in the 20th arrondissement, to Porte de Charenton, in the 12th. The route is intended to keep the demonstration away from central Paris and its main shopping districts.
But the route has not won everyone over. In a statement published on October 29, trade union organizations in the Île-de-France region condemned the change of route and said they were looking into possible legal action. The inter-union group has also applied to the emergency judge for a prefectural decision that could be challenged before the administrative court.
The proposed route is also facing local opposition. Hervé Gicquel, mayor of Charenton-le-Pont, said on Thursday, October 29, that he did not want Porte de Charenton to become the demonstration’s finishing point.
As a reminder, the Yellow Vests coordination group had filed a request on Tuesday, October 27, to hold a demonstration starting at 2 p.m. from Place de la Bastille. The march was then due to proceed along Boulevard Beaumarchais, through Place de la République, along the Grands Boulevards, past Opéra and Madeleine, and down Rue Royale before reaching Place de la Concorde. This route, first reported by Le Parisien, was therefore not approved by the authorities.
The Yellow Vests had warned that they were considering legal action if their request was denied. The unions are also challenging the restrictions imposed on demonstrations in the capital’s city center. On the eve of this third day of protests over the rising cost of living, the exact route of the march remains a point of disagreement between the organizers and the police prefecture.
This third day of protests continues the movement launched on October 17. While purchasing power and the high cost of living remain concerns, the organizers are also emphasizing civil liberties.
In their appeal published on October 24, the Yellow Vests are calling, among other things, for curfews to be lifted, protesters who have been arrested to be granted amnesty, and investigations into the violence they attribute to law enforcement.
The coordination had initially called for rallies and sit-ins outside the National Assembly and town halls across France on October 31. The “pot-banging protest,” scheduled for this Friday, October 30, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. outside the National Assembly, ahead of Saturday’s protest, was ultimately banned by the Paris police headquarters.
October 31 demonstration in Paris: designated route, curfew, metro—what you need to know
The October 31 demonstration in Paris will take place far from the city center: the police prefecture has ordered a march between Porte de Bagnolet and Porte de Charenton this Saturday, October 31, 2026, and imposed a curfew in République and Les Halles. Here’s what you need to know. [Read more]
The October 31, 2026 demonstration in Paris will take place far from the city center: the Paris police prefecture has banned the CGT and Yellow Vest marches and is requiring them to hold a joint procession between Porte de Bagnolet and Porte de Charenton. [Read more]
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October 31 demonstration in Paris: designated route, curfew, metro—what you need to know
October 31 demonstration: the prefecture imposes the Bagnolet–Charenton route
