Events in the year

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

–

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

( REM) *

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

–

Élisabeth Borne Élisabeth Borne (; born 18 April 1961) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from May 2022 to January 2024. A member of President Emmanuel Macron's party Renaissance (French political party), Renaissance, she is the secon ...

(REM) *

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

–

Borne government The Borne government ( French: ''gouvernement Borne'') was the forty-third government of the French Fifth Republic, formed on 16 May 2022 and headed by Élisabeth Borne as Prime Minister under President Emmanuel Macron. It served as a caretake ...

Events

January

* 11 January – Six people are injured in a

mass stabbing A mass stabbing is a single incident in which multiple victims are injured or killed with a sharp object thrusted at the victims, piercing through the skin and injuring the victims. Examples of sharp instruments used in mass stabbings may includ ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; ), officially Paris Nord, is one of the seven large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station is served by trains that run between the capital and northern France via the Paris–Lille railway, as well ...

train station. * 19 January –

2023 French pension reform strikes A series of protests began in France on 19 January 2023 with a demonstration of over one million people nationwide, organised by opponents of the 2023 French pension reform law, pension reform bill proposed by the Borne government to increase t ...

** Strikes and demonstrations begin throughout France against the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

's pension reform project, which plans to raise the

retirement age This article lists the statutory retirement age in different countries. In some contexts, the retirement age is the age at which a person is expected or required to cease work. It is usually the age at which such a person may be entitled to recei ...

to 64. * 21 January – RT France, the French arm of the

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

state media State media are typically understood as media outlets that are owned, operated, or significantly influenced by the government. They are distinguished from public service media, which are designed to serve the public interest, operate independent ...

network RT, ceases operation following the

freezing Freezing is a phase transition in which a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. For most substances, the melting and freezing points are the same temperature; however, certain substances possess dif ...

of their bank accounts by the

Direction générale du Trésor Direction may refer to: *Body relative direction, for instance left, right, forward, backwards, up, and down ** Anatomical terms of location for those used in anatomy ** List of ship directions *Cardinal direction *Bearing (navigation) Mathema ...

. * 25 January – France agrees to withdraw its 400

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

from

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

, following the mandate from the ruling military junta that they withdraw within a month. * 31 January – 2023 French pension reform strikes ** A second day of strikes and demonstrations occur throughout France against the government's pension reform project, which proposes to raise the retirement age to 64. According to the CGT union, 2.8 million people took part in the protests while the Ministry of Internal Affairs counted 1.272 million protesters. ** About 25% of teachers are on strike according to the Ministry of National Education. This figure is 55% according to the teachers' union SNES-fu.

February

* 7 February –

** A third day of national protests are held, attended by over 2 million strikers, 400,000 in Paris alone, according to the CGT, while the police estimate that around 757,000 strikers participated. * 11 February – 2023 French pension reform strikes ** A fourth day of national protests are held, attended by over 2.5 million strikers, 500,000 of whom were in Paris, according to the CGT, whilst the Ministry of the Interior claims that 963,000 protested. * 16 February – 2023 French pension reform strikes ** Unions said some 1.3 million people participated in strikes nationwide, with 30 percent of flights from Paris'

Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (, ) is one of two international airports serving Paris, France, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris. It serves as a sec ...

being cancelled.

March

* 4 March – Twenty-one people are injured in a bus crash in

Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...

. * 7 March – 2023 French pension reform strikes ** Trains around the country continued to be affected by strikes and protests, with 1.1 to 1.4 million people believed to have participated in over 260 protests across the country. * 20 March – March 2023 votes of no confidence in the government of Élisabeth Borne motions were voted down. The cross-party motion failed by a margin of just 9 votes. * 23 March – Palais Rohan in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

is set on fire by protesters.

April

* 9 April – ** 2023 Marseille building collapse ** Six people are killed and many others injured by an

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

near

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

, in the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

. * 20 April – Operation Wuambushu

May

* 11 May – The

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

votes 130 to 109 for a bill that not only would town halls in have to fly both the French and European flags but also all town halls must display a presidential portrait. The bill goes to the Senate * 21 May – Three people are killed in a gang shooting in the 11th arrondissement of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

June

* 8 June – Six children are injured during a mass stabbing in

Lake Annecy Lake Annecy (, ) is a perialpine lake in Haute-Savoie in France. It is named after the city of Annecy, which marks the start of the Thiou, Lake Annecy's outflow river.Jean-Daniel Stanley and Thomas F. Jorstad, ''Direct Sediment Dispersal from Moun ...

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefectures in France, prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Gene ...

. The

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

perpetrator, a failed

asylum seeker An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country, and makes in that other country a formal application for the right of asylum according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14. A per ...

, is arrested. A motive behind the attack is still unclear. * 16 June – A magnitude 4.8

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

strikes

Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; ; ) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area. Geography T ...

Deux-Sèvres Deux-Sèvres (, Poitevin-Saintongese: ''Deùs Saevres'') is a French department. ''Deux-Sèvres'' literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department. It had a ...

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

, injuring two people and severely damaging hundreds of buildings. * 21 June – 2023 Paris explosion: Around 50 people are injured and one is missing after an explosion and fire on Rue Saint-Jacques in Paris. * 27 June –

Killing of Nahel Merzouk On 27 June 2023, Nahel Merzouk (25 February 2006 – 27 June 2023), a 17-year-old French people, French youth of Morocco, Moroccan and Algerian descent, was shot at point-blank range and killed by police officer Florian M., when he did not compl ...

: A 17-year-old boy is shot dead by a

police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...

after an attempted

traffic stop A traffic stop, colloquially referred to as being pulled over, is a temporary Detention (imprisonment), detention of a driver of a vehicle and its occupants by police to Criminal investigation, investigate a possible crime or minor violation o ...

Nanterre Nanterre (; ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, b ...

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

. Due to the incident,

rioting A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

breaks out. * 28 June – Nahel Merzouk riots:

Riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

s occur in several towns following the killing of Merzouk by a

. At least 150 people are arrested, 24 police officers are injured, and 40 cars are set alight. Town halls, schools, and

police station A police station is a facility operated by police or a similar law enforcement agency that serves to accommodate police officers and other law enforcement personnel. The role served by a police station varies by agency, type, and jurisdiction, ...

s are also set on fire or attacked. * 29 June – Nahel Merzouk riots: Rioting continues for a third night across France with at least 100 people being arrested as 40,000

s are deployed to tackle the unrest. A town hall is set on fire in

Clichy-sous-Bois Clichy-sous-Bois () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris. It is located from central Paris.looted Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

by gangs in

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

and

Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis Montreuil (), also known unofficially as Montreuil-sous-Bois (), is a Communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department and in the Mét ...

. * 30 June – ** Killing of Nahel Merzouk: The police officer involved in the killing of Merzouk is charged with

homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

. ** Nahel Merzouk riots: Rioters set fire to the main

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

in Marseille as

civil unrest Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, civil strife, or turmoil, are situations when law enforcement and security forces struggle to maintain public order or tranquility. Causes Any number of things may cause civil di ...

continues across France. More than 900 people have been arrested and

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...

Gérald Darmanin Gérald Moussa Jean Darmanin (; born 11 October 1982) is a French politician serving as Minister of Justice (France), Minister of Justice in the Bayrou government. He previously served as Minister of the Interior (France), Minister of the Inter ...

deploys an additional 45,000 police officers to the streets.

July

* 1 July – ** Nahel Merzouk riots: Riots continue across France. More than 1,300 arrests, and 79 police officers injured. ** Looters raid a

gun shop A gun shop (also known by various other names such as firearm store and gun store) is a business that sells firearms, such as handguns and long guns, to individuals in an open shopping format. It may also provide repairs for firearms and their pa ...

in Marseille, stealing eight hunting

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

s and

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

before police intervene. **

cancels a

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state, head of a sovereign state, sovereign country (or Governor-general, representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, which would have been the first state visit in 23 years. * 2 July – Nahel Merzouk riots: Rioters ram-raid and set ablaze the residence of

L'Haÿ-les-Roses L'Haÿ-les-Roses () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. L'Haÿ-les-Roses is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Val-de-Marne ''Département ...

mayor Vincent Jeanbrun, a member of the

centre-right Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing politics, right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalis ...

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

party, injuring the mayor's wife and child. Jeanbrun was at the

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

during the incident. *3 July – Hundreds march in support of Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun, whose house was set ablaze on Sunday morning.

August

* 9 August – Nine people are killed and two others are missing after a fire breaks out in a guesthouse accommodating

disabled people Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

in Wintzenheim,

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

. * 13 August – Three people are killed and eighteen are injured in a fire in an apartment complex in

Grasse Grasse (; Provençal dialect, Provençal in classical norm or in Mistralian norm ; traditional ) is the only Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur Re ...

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; ; ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A ...

. * 14 August – France announces that supermarket prices increased 13.1% in July according to the national statistics bureau. * 27 August – France announces plans to ban the

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

abaya The abaya (colloquially and more commonly, ', especially in Literary Arabic: '; plural ', '), sometimes also called an aba, is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in the Muslim world including m ...

dress in schools.

September

* 3 September –

French Prime Minister The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers. The prime m ...

says that France will ban disposable vapes in an effort to combat smoking. * 19–22 September – State visit by Charles III to France * 23 September – Teenager Lina Delsarte disappears from her home in

. * 24 September -

2023 French Senate election Senatorial elections took place on 24 September 2023 to renew 172 of the 348 seats in the Senate of the French Fifth Republic. The Republicans, led by Bruno Retailleau, emerged as the largest group for the fourth consecutive cycle, but lost 7 s ...

October

* 4 October – The

bans

Civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by Roman law, law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilitie ...

Traditionalist Catholic Traditionalist Catholicism is a movement that emphasizes beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions and presentations of teaching associated with the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). ...

, integrist association and political party. * 12 October – French Interior Minister

announces that France will ban all pro-

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

protests in the country. * 13 October – Arras school stabbing: A teacher is killed and another teacher and a

security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, factory guard, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) ...

are seriously wounded in a stabbing attack at a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...

. The Ingush

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

attacker, heard shouting "

Allahu akbar Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), although the term was used in pre-Islamic Arabia ...

" during the attack, is arrested by police. *14 October – France raises its

Vigipirate Vigipirate () is France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in t ...

to the highest level and announces the deployment of 7,000

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...

through

Opération Sentinelle Opération Sentinelle is an ongoing French military operation following the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks, with the objective of protecting sensitive "points" of the territory from terrorism. It was reinforced during the November 2015 Pari ...

following the Arras stabbing, which President Emmanuel Macron describes as " Islamist terror". *18 October – The

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

and three French airports are temporarily evacuated "for security reasons".

November

* 6 November – French Armed Forces Minister

Sébastien Lecornu Sébastien Lecornu (; born 11 June 1986) is a French politician who has served as Minister of the Armed Forces in the governments of successive Prime Ministers Élisabeth Borne, Gabriel Attal, Michel Barnier and François BayrouLeigh Thomas and ...

announces that France will donate dozens of

armoured vehicles Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of Fragmentation (weaponry), shrapnel, bullets, Shell (projectile), shells, Rocke ...

to the Lebanese military to help it carry out patrol missions. * 13 November – Over 182,000 demonstrators march in cities across

, protesting the surge in

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

incidents since the outbreak of the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

. * 15 November – France issues

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a jud ...

s for

Syrian president The president of Syria (), officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, is the head of state and head of government of Syria. The president directs the executive branch and serves as the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Army and Armed ...

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

and his brother Maher al-Assad on charges of

crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...

and complicity in

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

, including the 2013

Ghouta chemical attack The Ghouta chemical attack was a chemical attack carried out by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in the early hours of 21 August 2013 in Ghouta, Syria during the Syrian civil war. Two opposition-controlled areas in the subur ...

. * 19 November ** One of French emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

bicorne The bicorne or bicorn (two-cornered) is a historical form of hat widely adopted in the 1790s as an item of uniform by European and American army and naval officers. Most generals and staff officers of the Napoleonic period wore bicornes, whic ...

hats is sold for a record

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

1.93 million (around

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

2.11 million) at an

auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...

in France. ** Crépol stabbing * 26 November – The

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was the 21st edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster France Télévisions. The contest took place on 26 November 2023 at the P ...

is held in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. France wins the competition with the song " Cœur" ("Heart"), performed by Zoé Clauzure. * 28 November –

Health Minister A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...

Aurélien Rousseau announces a ban on smoking on all beaches and public parks.

December

* 2 December – 2023 Paris attack * 25 December - In

, was produced the Sportica Fire in Gravenilles, France, causing several damages * 26 December – In

, a man is arrested for killing his four children and their mother. The mother and two daughters were

stabbed A stabbing is penetration or rough contact with a sharp or pointed object at close range. ''Stab'' connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others. Stabbing differs from ...

several times, while the couple’s two sons were suffocated or

drown Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Submersion injury refers to both drowning and near-miss incidents. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others presen ...

ed. * 31 December – The

Château du Grand-Serquigny Château du Grand-Serquigny is a 17th-century château in Serquigny, Normandy, France. The building was largely destroyed by fire on 31 December 2023. The moat reportedly hindered firefighting efforts. References

Châteaux in Eure 17 ...

in Normandy is destroyed by fire.

Deaths

January

* 1 January – Jacques Sereys, 94, actor ('' On Guard'', '' Chouchou'', ''

Towards Zero ''Towards Zero'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in June 1944 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in July of the same year. The first US edition of the novel retailed a ...

''). * 2 January – ** Alain Acard, 71, Olympic sprint canoer (

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

). **

Catherine David Catherine David (born 19 September 1954) is a French art historian, curator and museum director. David was the first woman and the first non-German speaker to curate documenta X in Kassel, Germany (21 June – 28 September 1997). David was ...

, 73, French-American literary critic and novelist. ** François Geindre, 76, politician, mayor of

Hérouville-Saint-Clair Hérouville-Saint-Clair () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is a suburb of the city of Caen, and lies adjacent to it in a northeasterly direction, along the west side of the Canal de ...

(1971–2001). * 4 January – Michel Ferté, 64, racing driver. * 5 January – Jean Clémentin, 98, journalist (''

Le Canard enchaîné (; English: "The Chained Duck" or "The Chained Paper", as is French slang meaning "newspaper") is a satirical weekly newspaper in France. Its headquarters is in Paris. Founded in 1915 during World War I, it features investigative journalism ...

''), writer, and spy. * 6 January – ** Marc-Kanyan Case, 80, Olympic footballer (

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

). ** Jacques Grattarola, 92, footballer (

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...

). * 7 January – **

Marcelle Engelen Faber Marcelle Engelen Faber (3 August 1923 – 7 January 2023) was a French Resistant. She was known for being the last surviving member of the , which helped transfer prisoners out of the Gau Baden and into Vichy France during World War II. Biograp ...

, 99, resistance fighter. ** Henri Heurtebise, 86, poet and editor. * 8 January – ** Michel Laurencin, 78, academic and historian. ** Christiane Papon, 98, politician, MEP (1987–1989) and

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

(1988–1993). * 9 January – Max Chantal, 64, rugby league player ( Villeneuve XIII,

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

). * 10 January – Pierre Dorsini, 88, footballer (

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

, Nancy). * 11 January – François Roussely, 78, government official and magistrate, president of

Électricité de France Électricité de France SA (; ), commonly known as EDF, is a French multinational corporation, multinational electric utility company owned by the government of France. Headquartered in Paris, with €139.7 billion in sales in 2023, EDF ope ...

(1998–2004). * 12 January – ** Jean Laurent, 78, banker and businessman, managing director of

Crédit Agricole Crédit Agricole Group (), sometimes called La banque verte (, , due to its historical ties to farming), is a French international banking group and the world's largest cooperative financial institution. It is the second largest bank in France, ...

(1999–2005). ** Daniel Richard, 78, entrepreneur. * 13 January – **

Madeleine Attal Madeleine Attal, also known as Madeleine Attal-Charvet, (11 December 1921 – 13 January 2023) was a French actress and theatre director. Biography Attal began her acting career in 1945 with the Compagnie du Peyrou, before heading a drama troupe ...

, 101, actress and theatre director. ** Fañch Peru, 82, teacher, writer and politician, mayor of

Berhet Berhet (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Berhet are called ''Berhetois'' in French. Breton language The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar b ...

(1983–2001). * 14 January – Bernard Delemotte, 83, diver and cameraman. * 15 January – Noël Coulet, 90, academic and historian. * 16 January – Pierre Danos, 93, rugby union player (

RC Toulon Rugby Club Toulonnais (), also referred to as Rugby Club Toulon or simply Toulon, is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon and competing in the Top 14. Located on the French Riviera, in the Provence region, the club plays its h ...

AS Béziers Hérault Association sportive de Béziers Hérault (; ), often referred to by rugby media simply by its location of Béziers, is a French rugby union club currently playing in the second level of the country's professional rugby system, Pro D2. They earn ...

). * 17 January – ** Jean-Claude Marty, 79, rugby league player (

FC Lézignan XIII Football Club de Lézignan (often referred to as the Lézignan Sangliers) are a semi-professional rugby league, rugby league football club based in Lézignan-Corbières in the Departments of France, department of Aude in the south of France. They ...

Racing Club Albi XIII Albi Rugby League XIII originally called Racing Club Albigeois XIII and more recently also known as RC Albi XIII are a semi-professional rugby league team based in Albi in the Occitanie region in southern France. Formed in 1934 the club compete ...

). **

Lucile Randon Lucile Randon (; 11 February 1904 – 17 January 2023), also known as Sister André (), was a French supercentenarian who, until her death at the age of 118 years, 340 days, was the List of the oldest verified people, world's oldest verified l ...

, 118,

supercentenarian A supercentenarian, sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian, is a person who is 110 or older. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of significant age-related diseases until short ...

, world's oldest living person (since 2022). **

Paul Vecchiali Paul Vecchiali (28 April 1930 – 18 January 2023) was a French filmmaker and author. Biography Vecchiali was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, France. He spent his childhood in Toulon. His family, suspected of collaboration, preferred to leave this cit ...

, 92, film director ('' At the Top of the Stairs'', '' Rosa la rose, fille publique'', '' Once More'') and author. * 18 January – ** Jacques Jarry, 93, linguist and archeologist. **

, 92, film director ('' At the Top of the Stairs'', '' Rosa la rose, fille publique'', '' Once More'') and author. ** Marcel Zanini, 99, Turkish-born French jazz musician. * 19 January – **

Gilles Beyer Gilles Beyer (25 January 1957 – 19 January 2023)Claude Guillon, 70, writer and philosopher. * 20 January – Loïc Guguen, dramatic baritone. * 23 January – ** Serge Laget, 66, board game designer (''

Mare Nostrum In the Roman Empire, () was a term that referred to the Mediterranean Sea. Meaning "Our Sea" in Latin, it denoted the body of water in the context of borders and policy; Ancient Rome, Rome remains the only state in history to have controlled th ...

'', '' Mystery of the Abbey''). ** Roland Weller, 84, businessman, president of

RC Strasbourg Alsace Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace, commonly known as RC Strasbourg (, ; RCS) or simply just Racing, is a football in France, French professional association football club founded in 1906 and based in the city of Strasbourg, Alsace. It became a p ...

(1994–1997). * 24 January – Christelle Doumergue, 59, basketball player ( Clermont UC, Tango Bourges Basket,

). * 25 January – ** Maria Deroche, 84, Brazilian-born French architect. ** Roger Louret, 72, actor, playwright, and theatre director. * 26 January – Attilio Labis, 86, ballet dancer and teacher. * 28 January – Gérard Caillaud, 76, actor ('' The Accuser'', ''

L'argent des autres (''Other People's Money'') is a 1978 French drama film directed by Christian de Chalonge, and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Catherine Deneuve, Claude Brasseur and Michel Serrault. It won the Louis Delluc Prize and the César Award for Be ...

'', '' The Dogs'') and stage director. * 29 January – Adama Niane, 56, actor ('' Get In'', ''

Lupin ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet, is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centres of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centres occur in No ...

'').

February

March

* 17 March – Habib Qahwaji, 91, Palestinian political activist and writer

April

May

June

* 2 June – Jacques Rozier, 96, film director and screenwriter ('' Adieu Philippine'', '' Du Cote D'Orouet''). * 18 June – Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, explorer and victim of the

Titan submersible implosion On 18 June 2023, Titan (submersible), ''Titan'', a submersible operated by the American tourism and expeditions company OceanGate, Implosion (mechanical process), imploded during an expedition to view the Wreck of the Titanic, wreck of the '' ...

. * 26 June – Ysabelle Lacamp, 68, writer and actress. * 27 June - Nahel Merzouk, Nahel Merzouk (sometimes spelled Naël), a 17-year-old French youth of Maghrebian Algerian descent, was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop

July

* 11 July –

Milan Kundera Milan Kundera ( ; ; 1 April 1929 – 11 July 2023) was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, but he was granted Czech citizenship ...

, 94, Czech-born French writer ('' The Joke'', ''

The Unbearable Lightness of Being ''The Unbearable Lightness of Being'' () is a 1984 novel by Milan Kundera about two women, two men, a dog, and their lives in the 1968 Prague Spring period of Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak history. Although written in 1982, the novel was not publ ...

''). * 16 July –

Jane Birkin Jane Mallory Birkin ( ; 14 December 1946 – 16 July 2023) was a British and French actress, singer, and designer. She had a prolific career as an actress, mostly in French cinema. A native of London, Birkin began her career as an actress, ...

, 76, British-French actress (''

Death on the Nile ''Death on the Nile'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 1 November 1937 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at ...

'', ''

Evil Under the Sun ''Evil Under the Sun'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1941Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon. ''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of F ...

'') and singer (" Je t'aime... moi non plus").

August

September

October

* 6 October –

Victoire Jasmin Victoire Jasmin (23 December 1955 – 6 October 2023) was a French Socialist Party (France), Socialist politician. She represented Guadeloupe in the Senate (France), French Senate. Life and career Victoire Jasmin was born in Morne-à-l'Eau o ...

, 67, French Senator from Guadaloupe. * 24 October – Marcel Berthomé, 101, Mayor and war veteran.

November

* 13 November – Michel Ciment, 85, film critic and historian. * 19 November – Colette Maze, 109, pianist and piano teacher. * 22 November –

Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie Emmanuel Bernard Le Roy Ladurie (, 19 July 1929 – 22 November 2023) was a French historian whose work was mainly focused upon Languedoc in the ''Ancien Régime'', particularly the history of the peasantry. One of the leading historians of Franc ...

, 94, historian.

December

* 27 December – Juliette Carré, 90, actress. *29 December –

Gil de Ferran Gil de Ferran (11 November 1967 – 29 December 2023) was a Brazilian professional racing driver and team owner. De Ferran was the 2000 and 2001 Champ Car champion driving for Team Penske and the winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500. He also ...

, 56, French-born Brazilian professional racing driver.

References

{{Years in France

2020s in France Years of the 21st century in France

Incumbents

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

See also

Country overviews

References