'I didn’t know it was theft': Trials begin in Paris following October 17 violence

A protester runs on the fringes of a demonstration in Paris on October 17, 2026 which was marred by violent clashes and looting. © Kiran Ridley, AFP

Those arrested during the October 17 rallies filed into the dock at Paris’s Judicial Court on Tuesday, accused of a broad range of offences – from assault against police officers to resisting arrest and handling stolen goods. The courtroom’s charged atmosphere was palpable amid the justice minister’s call for the law to respond with “utmost firmness”.

A tightly packed crowd waits patiently outside a courtroom half an hour before the hearing begins at the Paris Judicial Court. “You’re keen, aren’t you!” a police officer jeers at the front of the queue. “You’re right to be, there won’t be room for everyone.”