This is a list of incidents of

civil disorder Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, or social unrest is a situation arising from a mass act of civil disobedience (such as a demonstration, riot, strike, or unlawful assembly) in which law enforcement has difficult ...

that have occurred

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

since the 13th century, including riots, strikes, violent labor disputes, minor insurrections, and other forms of civil unrest.

13th century

* 1229: 1229 University of Paris strike, riots at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...

that resulted in a number of student deaths and reforms of the

medieval university A medieval university was a corporation organized during the Middle Ages for the purposes of higher education. The first Western European institutions generally considered to be universities were established in present-day Italy (including the ...

. * 1251: Shepherds' Crusade, attacks on monasteries, universities and Jews. * 1257: Revolt in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fran ...

* 1261: Revolt in Marseille * 1270: Tax revolt in

Cahors Cahors (; oc, Caors ) is a commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitanie Region. The main city of the Lot department and the historical center of the Que ...

* 1274: Revolt in

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...

* 1276: Revolt in Limoges * 1281: Revolt in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population ...

* 1292: Tax revolt in Rouen

14th century

* 1307: Revolt in Paris * 1309:

Crusade of the Poor The Crusade of the Poor was an unauthorised military expedition—one of the so-called " popular crusades"—undertaken in the spring and summer of 1309 by members of the lower classes from England, Flanders, Brabant, northern France and the ...

in northern Europe and notably Picardy, Avignon and Marseille * 1320: Shepherds' Crusade, widespread violence in France and Aragon * 1338: Peasant revolt near Laon * 1347: Tax revolt in Rouen * 1351: Tax revolt in Rouen * 1358:

Jacquerie The Jacquerie () was a popular revolt in late-medieval Europe, popular revolt by peasants that took place in northern France in the early summer of 1358 during the Hundred Years' War. The revolt was centred in the valley of the Oise (river), O ...

peasant revolt in northern France * 1364: Peasant revolt near Toulouse * 1378–1384: Tuchin revolt in southern France * 1378–1382: Tax revolts across France, including the

Harelle The Harelle (; from ''haro'') was a revolt that occurred in the French city of Rouen in 1382 and followed by the Maillotins uprising a few days later in Paris, as well as numerous other revolts across France in the subsequent week. France was in t ...

and Maillotins uprisings in Rouen and Paris

15th century

* 1407–1435:

Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War The Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War was a conflict between two cadet branches of the French royal family – the House of Orléans ( Armagnac faction) and the House of Burgundy (Burgundian faction) from 1407 to 1435. It began during a lull in th ...

** 1413:

Cabochien revolt The Cabochien revolt was an episode in the civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians which was in turn a part of the Hundred Years' War. In the spring of 1413, John the Fearless, duke of Burgundy, managed to raise the people of Paris an ...

in Paris * 1418: Revolt in

Châlons-en-Champagne Châlons-en-Champagne () is a city in the Grand Est region of France. It is the capital of the department of Marne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims. Formerly called Châlons-sur-Marne, the city was officially renam ...

* 1440:

Praguerie The Praguerie was a revolt of the French nobility against King Charles VII from February to July 1440. It was so named because a similar rising had recently taken place in Prague, Bohemia, at that time closely associated with France through th ...

, a noble rebellion * 1465:

League of the Public Weal The War of the Public Weal (French: ''La guerre du Bien public'') was a conflict between the king of France and an alliance of feudal nobles, organized in 1465 in defiance of the centralized authority of King Louis XI of France. It was masterminde ...

, a noble rebellion * 1485–1488:

Mad War The Mad War (french: la Guerre folle) was a late medieval conflict between a coalition of feudal lords and the French monarchy. It occurred during the regency of Anne of Beaujeu in the period after the death of Louis XI and before the majority of ...

, a noble rebellion

16th century

* 1505: Riot in Nîmes * 1506: Riot in

Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the ...

* 1507: Riot in

Nevers Nevers ( , ; la, Noviodunum, later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is the prefecture of the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in central France. It was the principal city of the former province of Nivernais. It is ...

* 1514: Tax revolt in

Agen The commune of Agen (, ; ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux. Geography The city of Agen lies in the southwestern department of ...

* 1516: Riot in Laval * 1519: Revolt in

Libourne Libourne (; oc, label= Gascon, Liborna ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilio ...

* 1521: Peasant revolt in

Lantriac Lantriac () is a commune in the Haute-Loire department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), ...

and

Velay Velay () is a historical area of France situated in east Haute-Loire ''département'' and south east of Massif central. History Julius Caesar mentioned the vellavi as subordinate of the arverni. Strabon suggested that they might have made ...

* 1521: Grain riots in

Aix Aix or AIX may refer to: Computing * AIX, a line of IBM computer operating systems *An Alternate Index, for a Virtual Storage Access Method Key Sequenced Data Set * Athens Internet Exchange, a European Internet exchange point Places Belgiu ...

, Marseille and

Tarascon Tarascon (; ), sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune situated at the extreme west of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Inhabitants are referred to as Tarasconnais or Tara ...

* 1522: Revolt in

Meaux Meaux () is a commune on the river Marne in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is east-northeast of the centre of Paris. Meaux is, with Provins, Torcy and Fontaineblea ...

* 1522: Grain riots in

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris. The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most populo ...

and

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metr ...

* 1523: Revolt of Captain Montélon in Ile-de-France * 1525: Riots in

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

* 1526: Riots in

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earl ...

* 1526–1527: Peasant riots in Sarladais * 1528: Wine tax revolt in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...

* 1529: in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

, riots in Dijon and

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near ...

* 1535: Riot in

Foix Foix (; oc, Fois ; ca, Foix ) is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. It is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the Préfecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of sout ...

* 1536: Peasant revolt in

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border ...

, tax riot in Le Puy * 1537: Fighting between gendarmerie and commons in

Albi Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants ar ...

* 1539:

Gabelle The ''gabelle'' () was a very unpopular tax on salt in France that was established during the mid-14th century and lasted, with brief lapses and revisions, until 1946. The term ''gabelle'' is derived from the Italian ''gabella'' (a duty), itself ...

salt tax revolt in Bordeaux, tax riot in

Vermandois Vermandois was a French county that appeared in the Merovingian period. Its name derives from that of an ancient tribe, the Viromandui. In the 10th century, it was organised around two castellan domains: St Quentin (Aisne) and Péronne (Somme ...

* 1539–1542: Strikes over printers' wages in Lyon and Paris * 1542: Gabelle revolt in

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wit ...

, riots in Rouen and Tours * 1544: Revolt over taxes and religion in

Saint-Maixent Saint-Maixent () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Sarthe department The following is a list of the 354 communes of the Sarthe department of France. ...

* 1545: Tax revolts and riots in Niort, Saintes, Périgueux, St Foy, Duras, Rouen and Comminges * 1545: Mérindol massacre * 1545–1546: Religious agitation across France * 1545–1547: Riots in Vitry over real estate speculation * 1548–1549: Revolt of the Pitauds in south-west France * 1552: Revolt in Nay * 1553: Riots in Le Puy * 1554: Peasant revolt in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

* 1560:

Amboise Conspiracy The Amboise conspiracy, also called Tumult of Amboise, was a failed attempt by a Huguenot faction in France to gain control over the young king Francis II and to reverse the policies of the current administration of Francis, Duke of Guise and Cha ...

, a failed attempt by

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

nobles and ministers to seize the King. * 1560: Maligny Affair: an abortive Protestant uprising in the city of

, backed by nobles and ministers including

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

. * 1561: Saint Médard Riot, a violent religious action in Paris that saw a church seized and more than ten killed. * 1562–1598:

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mil ...

** 1562:

1562 Riots of Toulouse The 1562 Riots of Toulouse are a series of events (occurring largely in the span of a week) that pitted members of the Reformed Church of France (often called Huguenots) against members of the Roman Catholic Church in violent clashes that ended wi ...

, a series of events that pitted members of the

Reformed Church of France The Reformed Church of France (french: Église réformée de France, ERF) was the main Protestant denomination in France with a Calvinist orientation that could be traced back directly to John Calvin. In 2013, the Church merged with the Evangel ...

(often called Huguenots) against members of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in violent clashes that ended with the deaths of between 3,000–5,000 citizens of the French city of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...

. ** 1572:

St. Bartholomew's Day massacre The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (french: Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy) in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence, directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French War ...

. ** 1588:

Day of the barricades In the French Wars of Religion, the Day of the Barricades (in french: Journée des barricades), 12 May 1588, was an outwardly spontaneous public uprising in staunchly Catholic Paris against the moderate, hesitant, temporizing policies of Henry I ...

, an uprising by the radical Catholics against the more moderate Henry III. * 1593–1595:

Croquant rebellions The croquant rebellions ("Jacquerie des croquants" in French) were several peasant revolts that erupted in Limousin, Quercy, and Perigord (France) and that extended through the southeast of the country in the latter part of the 16th and beginnin ...

in south-west France

17th century

* 1620: Battle of Ponts-de-Cé, a rebellion by

Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (french: link=no, Marie de Médicis, it, link=no, Maria de' Medici; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV of France of the House of Bourbon, and Regent of the Kingdo ...

is defeated by King

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

. * 1620–1629: The Huguenot rebellions, a series of southern revolts in part led by Henri, Duke of Rohan in response to increasing reversals of the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was in essence completely Catholic. In the edict, Henry aim ...

. * 1624:

Peasant rebellion This is a chronological list of conflicts in which peasants played a significant role. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: ...

Quercy Quercy (; oc, Carcin , locally ) is a former province of France located in the country's southwest, bounded on the north by Limousin, on the west by Périgord and Agenais, on the south by Gascony and Languedoc, and on the east by Rouergue ...

* 1632:

Battle of Castelnaudary The Battle of Castelnaudary occurred at Castelnaudary, France, on 1 September 1632, between the rebel forces of Henri II de Montmorency (loyal to Gaston, Duke of Orléans) and the royalist forces of Marshal Henri de Schomberg (loyal to King Loui ...

, a rebellion by

Gaston, Duke of Orléans ''Monsieur'' Gaston, Duke of Orléans (Gaston Jean Baptiste; 24 April 1608 – 2 February 1660), was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his second wife, Marie de' Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a '' Fils de France''. He late ...

is defeated by royal forces. * 1635–1637:

in south-west France * 1638–1642:

in south-west France * 1639: Revolt of the va-nu-pieds, a rebellion in Normandy * 1643:

Rouergue Rouergue (; ) is a former province of France, corresponding roughly with the modern department of Aveyron. Its historical capital is Rodez. It is bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Géva ...

* 1645: Tax revolt in Montpellier * 1648–1653: The

Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition of the princes, the nobility, the law cour ...

, a wave of revolts against the young

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ve ...

. * 1650:

Limousin Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...

* 1655–1657: Tardanizat rebellion in Guyenne * 1658: Sabotiers rebellion in Sologne * 1661–1662: Benauge rebellion in Guyenne * 1662: in Boulonnais * 1663–1665: Audijos rebellion * 1667–1668: Angelet revolt in Roussillon * 1670: Vivarais revolt * 1670–1674: Angelet revolt in Roussillon * 1675: Revolt of the papier timbré, a rebellion in Brittany * 1693–1694: Food riots during the * 1698: Food riots

18th century

Journée des Tuiles (Alexandre Debelle), Musée de la Révolution française - Vizille

* 1702–1710: Camisard Rebellion, a prolonged local guerrilla war by Protestants of the

Cévennes The Cévennes ( , ; oc, Cevenas) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the ''départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geogr ...

region in the wake of the revocation of the

. * 1707:

in Quercy * 1709–1710: Food riots during the famine of 1709–1710 * 1718–1720: Pontcallec conspiracy, a rebellion in Brittany * 1725: Food riot in Paris * 1739–1740: Food riots * 1749: Food riots * 1752: Food riots * 1768: Food riots * 1770: Food riots * 1775:

Flour War The Flour War refers to a wave of riots from April to May 1775, in the northern, eastern, and western parts of the Kingdom of France. It followed an increase in grain prices, and subsequently bread prices; bread was an important source of food am ...

, a wave of riots in April to May 1775, that followed an increase in

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit ( caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legu ...

and bread prices, because police withheld grain from the royal stores in addition to poor harvests. * 1785: Food riots * 1786: in Lyon * 1788:

Day of the Tiles The Day of the Tiles (french: Journée des Tuiles) was an event that took place in the French town of Grenoble on 7 June in 1788. It was one of the first disturbances which preceded the French Revolution, and is credited by a few historians as ...

in Grenoble * 1789–1799:

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, a revolution that overthrew the monarchy, established a republic, experienced violent periods of political turmoil, and finally culminated in a dictatorship by Napoleon that forcibly brought many of its ideals to Western Europe.

19th century

* 1811–1812: Food riots * 1816–1817: Food riots * 1829–1830: Food riots * 1830: The

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (french: révolution de Juillet), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after the first in 1789. It led to the overthrow of King ...

, which led to the abdication of

Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and L ...

and establishment of the

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 ...

under

Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary Wa ...

. * 1831:

Canut revolt The Canut revolts (french: Révolte des canuts) is the collective name for the major revolts by Lyonnais silk workers (french: canuts) which occurred in 1831, 1834 and 1848. They were among the first well-defined worker uprisings of the period k ...

in Lyon, violent demonstrations in Paris and other cities * 1832: The

June Rebellion The June Rebellion, or the Paris Uprising of 1832 (french: Insurrection républicaine à Paris en juin 1832), was an anti-monarchist insurrection of Parisian republicans on 5 and 6 June 1832. The rebellion originated in an attempt by republi ...

, an anti-monarchist insurrection of Parisian republicans on 5 and 6 June 1832. Legitimist insurrections and protests in the west and south. Food riots in the east and southwest. * 1834:

in Lyon * 1839: Coup attempt in Paris led by

Louis Auguste Blanqui Louis Auguste Blanqui (; 8 February 1805 – 1 January 1881) was a French socialist and political activist, notable for his revolutionary theory of Blanquism. Biography Early life, political activity and first imprisonment (1805–1848) Bl ...

Armand Barbès Armand Barbès (18 September 1809 – 26 June 1870) was a French Republican revolutionary and an opponent of the July monarchy (1830–1848). He is remembered as a man whose life centers on two days: * ''12 May 1839'', the day of the uprisin ...

, Martin Bernard, and the

Société des Saisons Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA. Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the sec ...

. * 1839–1840: Food riots * 1840: Strikes in Paris * 1841: Tax revolt in south-west France * 1845: Wool worker strikes in

Lodève Lodève (; oc, Lodeva ) is a commune in the département of Hérault, in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The derivation of the city's name is from Gaulish ''Luteva'', composed of lut-, swamp, m ...

* 1846–1847: Food riots around Paris * 1848:

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundati ...

, street fighting in Paris resulting in the overthrow of the July Monarchy and proclamation of the

French Second Republic The French Second Republic (french: Deuxième République Française or ), officially the French Republic (), was the republican government of France that existed between 1848 and 1852. It was established in February 1848, with the February Re ...

. * 1848:

French demonstration of 15 May 1848 The French demonstration of 15 May 1848 was an event played out, mostly, in the streets of Paris. It was intended to reverse the results of a Second Republic election of deputies to the Constituent Assembly. It is difficult to say, with any prec ...

, an event played out in the streets of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

that was intended to reverse the results of a Second Republic election of deputies to the Constituent Assembly. * 1848: The

June Days uprising The June Days uprising (french: les journées de Juin) was an uprising staged by French civilians from 22 to 26 June 1848. It was in response to plans to close the National Workshops, created by the Second Republic in order to provide work a ...

, an insurrection staged by Radical Republicans dissatisfied by the lack of social and class reform under the Second Republic. * 1849: Insurrections in Paris and Lyon * 1851:

1851 French coup d'état The Coup d'état of 2 December 1851 was a self-coup staged by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (later Napoleon III), at the time President of France under the Second Republic. Code-named Operation Rubicon and timed to coincide with the anniversary ...

* 1853–1854: Food riots * 1868: Food riots * 1869: Violent strikes in * 1871:

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defende ...

, a radical socialist and revolutionary government that took power in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War and ruled Paris from 18 March to 28 May 1871. * 1880: Violent strikes * 1891–1894: Violent strikes and anarchist terrorism * 1893:

Massacre of Italians at Aigues-Mortes The Massacre of the Italians at Aigues-Mortes was a series of events on 16 and 17 August 1893, in Aigues-Mortes, France, which resulted in the deaths of immigrant Italian workers of the ''Compagnie des Salins du Midi'', at the hands of French vil ...

20th century

* 1900–1901: Violent strikes in

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terr ...

and Marseille * 1906–1907: Violent strikes * 1907: Revolt of the Languedoc winegrowers * 1908: Strikes in Nantes * 1910–1911:

Champagne Riots The Champagne Riots of 1910 and 1911 resulted from a series of problems faced by grape growers in the Champagne area of France. These included four years of disastrous crop losses, the infestation of the phylloxera louse (which destroyed of viney ...

, resulted from a series of problems faced by

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry (botany), berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non-Climacteric (botany), climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of ...

growers in the

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

area of France. * 1919–1920: Violent strikes * 1921: Violence that broke out at the premiere of the play ''

The Gas Heart ''The Gas Heart'' or ''The Gas-Operated Heart'' Johanna Drucker, ''The Visible Word: Experimental Typography and Modern Art, 1909–1923'', University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London, 1994, p.223. (french: Le Cœur à gaz) is a French-languag ...

''. * 1926: Bloody Sunday, political clashes that occurred in

Colmar Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it ha ...

on August 22, 1926. * 1934:

6 February 1934 crisis 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

, an

anti-parliamentarist A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

street demonstration in Paris organized by

far-right league The far-right leagues (french: ligues d'extrême droite) were several French far-right movements opposed to parliamentarism, which mainly dedicated themselves to military parades, street brawls, demonstrations and riots. The term ''ligue'' was of ...

s that culminated in a riot * 1936:

General strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coa ...

by one million workers * 1947: 1947 strikes in France, a series of insurrectional strikes * 1958:

May 1958 crisis in France The May 1958 crisis, also known as the Algiers putsch or the coup of 13 May, was a political crisis in France during the turmoil of the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962) which led to the collapse of the Fourth Republic and its replacem ...

* 1961:

Algiers putsch of 1961 The Algiers putsch (french: Putsch d'Alger or ), also known as the Generals' putsch (''Putsch des généraux''), was a failed coup d'état intended to force French President Charles de Gaulle not to abandon French Algeria, along with the resi ...

* 1968:

May 1968 events in France Beginning in May 1968, a period of civil unrest occurred throughout France, lasting some seven weeks and punctuated by demonstrations, general strikes, as well as the occupation of universities and factories. At the height of events, which ...

, a volatile period of civil unrest that was punctuated by demonstrations and massive general strikes as well as the occupation of universities and factories across France. * 1979: Youths of North African origin rioted in the

suburb of

Vaulx-en-Velin Vaulx-en-Velin () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is located to its northeast, on the river Rhône. History The rivers, including ...

following an arrest of a local youth. Believed to be the first suburban riot in French history. * 1981:

Rodéo (riot) The rodéo was a technique of rioting that became popular in France beginning in 1981 that was often associated with youth of North African descent and the Les Minguettes area of Vénissieux, a Lyons suburb. Over the summer of 1981, 250 cars were s ...

, riots that consisted of stealing cars, driving them in tight circles, and ultimately burning them. * 1990: Rioting in

after a young man of Spanish origin was killed in a motorbike crash allegedly caused by police. * 1991: Violence broke out in

Sartrouville Sartrouville () is a commune in the Yvelines department, Île-de-France, north central France. it is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris. Name In the Middle Ages the name Sartrouville was recorded in Mediev ...

after the fatal shooting of an Arab teenager by a supermarket security guard. * 1991: Rioting occurred in

Mantes-la-Jolie Mantes-la-Jolie (, often informally called Mantes) is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, from the centre of the capital. Mantes-la-Jolie is a subpre ...

after a policewoman and an Algerian man were killed. * 1992: Following the death of 18-year-old Mohamed Bahri in

at the hands of police, youths attacked the town's police station and burned cars. * 1995: Rioting in several eastern suburbs of Lyon following the police killing of terrorist Khaled Kelkal, a key organizer of the

1995 France bombings The 1995 France bombings were a series of attacks that targeted public transport systems in Paris and Lyon, as well as a school in Villeurbanne. They were carried out by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA), who sought to expand the Algerian ...

* 1997: Rioting occurred in

Dammarie-lès-Lys Dammarie-lès-Lys (; officially Dammarie-les-Lys) is a Communes of France, commune in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region ...

after 16-year-old Abdelkadher Bouziane was shot and killed by police and his 19-year-old friend wounded. * 1998: Two days of riots occurred in suburban

after 17-year-old Habib Muhammed was shot by police during a car theft.

21st century

* 2005:

2005 French riots The 2005 French riots (french: Émeutes de 2005 dans les Banlieues Françaises), was a three-week period of riots in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities, in October and November 2005. These riots involved youth in violent attacks, and t ...

, a series of riots that occurred in the suburbs of

and other French cities involving the burning of cars and public buildings at night. * 2006:

2006 youth protests in France The 2006 youth protests in France occurred throughout France during February, March, and April 2006 as a result of opposition to a measure set to deregulate labour. Young people were the primary participants in the protests as the bill would hav ...

, riots resulting from opposition to a measure set to deregulate labour in France. * 2007:

2007 Villiers-le-Bel riots Riots in the Val-d'Oise department in France began on 26 November 2007, following the deaths of two teenagers (Moushin S., 15, and Larami S., 16), whose motorcycle collided with a police vehicle. The circumstances recalled those that precipita ...

, riots in the

Val-d'Oise Val-d'Oise (, "Vale of the Oise") is a department in the Île-de-France region, Northern France. It was created in 1968 following the split of the Seine-et-Oise department. In 2019, Val-d'Oise had a population of 1,249,674.< ...

department that began following the deaths of two teenagers whose motorcycle collided with a police vehicle. * 2007–09: 2007–09 university protests in France, protest movements resulting from several reform projects under Minister for Higher Education and Research

Valérie Pécresse Valérie Pécresse (; born Roux, 14 July 1967) is a French politician who has served as President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France since 2015. A member of The Republicans (LR), she previously served as Minister of Higher Education and ...

. * 2009:

2009 French riots A series of riots took place in July 2009 in France. On Bastille Day in the commune of Montreuil, an eastern suburb area of Paris, French youths set fire to 317 cars. Thirteen police officers were injured. On July 9, many youths started a protest ...

, a series of riots that occurred on

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...

(14 July) in the commune of Montreuil, an eastern suburb area of Paris. * 2012: Notre Dame-des Landes Communities from nearby towns prevent an airport from being built on Notre Dame-des Landes forest and agricultural fields. * 2013:

2013 Trappes riots Riots broke out in Trappes, a suburb (''banlieue'') of Paris, France, on 19 July 2013 after the police arrested a man who assaulted a police officer, who tried to check the identity of his wife wearing a Muslim veil on 18 July 2013. Background F ...

, riots that broke out after police arrested a man who assaulted a police officer who tried to check the identity of his wife wearing a Muslim veil * 2014:

2014 Sarcelles riots On Sunday, 20 July 2014, a pro-Palestinian protest against the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza degenerated into an antisemitic riot in Sarcelles, France. An illegal demonstration gathered about 500 persons (the police and organisers having simil ...

, a pro-Palestinian protest against the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza degenerated into an antisemitic riot in Sarcelles, France. * 2016: 2016 French taxi driver strike, a strike by taxi drivers in several major cities against

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber), based in San Francisco, provides mobility as a service, ride-hailing (allowing users to book a car and driver to transport them in a way similar to a taxi), food delivery ( Uber Eats and Postmates), pack ...

, included many road blockades, fires, overturned vehicles, and the blockade of roads leading to the two major airports in Paris. * 2016: Nuit debout, protests that grew out of opposition to proposed labor reforms. * 2017: Protests started following accusations a police officer anally raped a young black man with a baton. Anti-police protests continued well into March 2017 when migrants were met with resistance from Paris residents. * 2017: During

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

protests in Paris, a group of about 150 hooded demonstrators disrupted the march, throwing "

Molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see other names'') is a hand thrown incendiary weapon constructed from a frangible container filled with flammable substances equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with fl ...

s, firebombs and other objects at the police near

Place de la Bastille The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris where the Bastille prison once stood, until the storming of the Bastille and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution. No vestige of the ...

." These "violent protesters, who did not carry any union or election paraphernalia, appeared to be from the same fringe groups that have targeted anti-government protests in the past."

Riot police Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots. Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organi ...

responded with batons and

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...

. Six police officers were injured, two of them seriously, by petrol bombs. * 2018: Ongoing

Yellow vests movement The Yellow Vests Protests or Yellow Jackets Protests or Yellow Vests Revolution (french: Mouvement des gilets jaunes, ) are a series of Populism, populist, grassroots weekly protests in France that began on 17 November 2018. At first the protes ...

(French: Gilets jaunes protests) over dissatisfaction with wealth disparity and ongoing increases to fuel taxes. * 2022:

2022 Corsica unrest In March 2022, the island of Corsica, France, saw protests in response to a prison attack on nationalist leader Yvan Colonna. There were rallies in the main cities of Ajaccio, Calvi and Bastia that descended into violent clashes between poli ...

by Corsican nationalists in response to prison attack on

Yvan Colonna Yvan Colonna ( co, Ivanu Colonna, ; 7 April 1960 – 21 March 2022) was a French Corsican nationalist convicted for the assassination in 1998 of the prefect of Corse-du-Sud, Claude Érignac. He was beaten to death in prison by a jihadist inmate ...

* 2022:

2022 Paris shooting On 23 December 2022, a mass shooting occurred at three Kurdish locations in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, France. Three people were killed, and three others were wounded in and around a Kurdish cultural center on Rue d'Enghien. Investigato ...

, protests after the killing of three

Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...

in Paris. * 2023: 2023 French pension reform strikes due to the planned raise in retirement age from 62 to 64 years old. * 2023: Nahel Merzouk protests and unrest after the killing of a teenager by police near Paris.

References

{{reflist Incidents of civil unrest