The essentials
French protests drew 410,000 per Interior Ministry and 800,000 per CGT, with end-of-march disturbances in major cities.
Nationwide protests in France drew 410,000 participants according to the Interior Ministry, while the CGT labor union put the figure at 800,000. The two estimates differ substantially, and the available reporting does not explain the methods behind either count.
Demonstrations on 24 October also included disturbances at the end of marches in major cities. The reporting does not detail the scale of these incidents or the number of people involved.
The two figures come from different sources and are not reconciled in the reporting, so each should be read as that source's own count.
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Interior Ministry puts turnout well below union's estimate
The Interior Ministry's figure of 410,000 participants represents the government's account of nationwide turnout on 24 October. Official estimates provide one reference point for measuring the scale of the mobilization, though the ministry's methodology is not described in the available reporting. The figure is set against the disturbances at the end of marches in major cities.
CGT estimates 800,000 marched as demonstrations spread nationwide
The CGT's estimate of 800,000 participants places the mobilization at roughly twice the Interior Ministry's count. Union figures reflect the organizers' own tally of nationwide turnout, which the reporting does not independently verify. The end-of-march disturbances in major cities occurred alongside this mobilization, according to the reporting.