This is a list of incidents of

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

that have occurred

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 ...

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 The University of Paris strike of 1229 took place in Paris, France. The strike occurred as a disagreement over an unpaid tab at a local tavern. The ensuing disagreement caused the deaths of several students when Queen Blanche ordered the mercen ...

, riots at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

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 K ...

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

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 ...

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

Cahors Cahors (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Region. The capital and main city of t ...

* 1274: Revolt in

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , 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. Situated o ...

* 1276: Revolt in Limoges * 1281: Revolt in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

* 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 Ge ...

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 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 north of Paris and was suppressed after over tw ...

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, followed by an uprising a few days later in Paris, as well as numerous other revolts across France in the subsequent week. France was in the midst of 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 t ...

** 1413: Cabochien revolt 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 Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims. Formerly called Châlons ...

* 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 ...

, 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 () was an Early Renaissance 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 Charles VIII. Th ...

, a noble rebellion

16th century

* 1505: Riot in

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

* 1506: Riot in

Carcassonne Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department. ...

* 1507: Riot in

Nevers Nevers ( , ; , later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is a city and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the pr ...

* 1514: Tax revolt in

Agen Agen (, , ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux. In 2021, the commune had a population of 32,485. Geography The city of Agen l ...

* 1516: Riot in Laval * 1519: Revolt in

Libourne Libourne (; ) 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-Émilion and Pomerol. Geog ...

* 1521: Peasant revolt in Lantriac and

Velay Velay () is a historical area of France situated in the east Haute-Loire ''Département in France, département'' and southeast of Massif central, Massif Central. History Julius Caesar mentioned the vellavi as the subordinate of the arverni. ...

* 1521: Grain riots in

Aix Aix or AIX may refer to: Computing * AIX, a line of IBM computer operating systems *Alternate index, for an IBM Virtual Storage Access Method key-sequenced data set * Athens Internet Exchange, a European Internet exchange point Places Belg ...

, 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 Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...

* 1522: Grain riots in

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise Departments of France, département, in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, north of Paris. The Communes of France, commune o ...

and

Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

* 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

* 1526: Riots in

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

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

* 1529: in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, riots in Dijon and

Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, 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 ...

* 1535: Riot in

Foix 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 prefecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of southwestern France ...

* 1536: Peasant revolt in

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

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

Albi 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 are called ...

* 1539:

Gabelle The ''gabelle'' () was a very unpopular French salt tax 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 orig ...

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 ( Som ...

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

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') 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 Departments of France, department. Wi ...

, 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, northwestern France. See also *Communes of the Sarthe department The following is a list of the 352 communes of the Sarthe department of France. Th ...

* 1545: Tax revolts and riots in Niort, Saintes, Périgueux, St Foy, Duras, Rouen and Comminges * 1545:

Mérindol massacre The Mérindol massacre took place in 1545, when Francis I of France ordered that the ''Vaudois'' (Waldensians) of the village of Mérindol be punished for heresy. Provençal and papal soldiers killed hundreds or even thousands of Waldensian villa ...

* 1545–1546: Religious agitation across France * 1545–1547: Riots in Vitry over real estate speculation * 1548–1549:

Revolt of the Pitauds The revolt of the pitauds (French: ''jacquerie des Pitauds'', ''révolte des Pitauds'') was a French peasants' revolt in the mid-16th century. The revolt was sparked by the 1541 decree of Châtellerault, which extended a salt tax to Angoumois ...

in south-west France * 1552: Revolt in Nay * 1553: Riots in Le Puy * 1554: Peasant revolt in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

* 1560:

Amboise Conspiracy The Amboise conspiracy, also called Tumult of Amboise, was a failed attempt by a Huguenots, Huguenot faction in Kingdom of France, France to gain control over the young King Francis II of France, Francis II and to reverse the policies of the curr ...

, a failed attempt by

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

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 (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

. * 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 were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

** 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 Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church in violent clas ...

, a series of events that pitted members of the

Reformed Church of France The Reformed Church of 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 Evangelical Lutheran Church in France to ...

(often called Huguenots) against members of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

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

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 ...

. ** 1572:

St. Bartholomew's Day massacre The Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre () 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 Wars of Religion. Traditionally believed ...

. ** 1588:

Day of the barricades In the French Wars of Religion, the Day of the Barricades (in ), 12 May 1588, was an outwardly spontaneous public uprising in staunchly Catholic Paris against the moderate, hesitant, temporizing policies of Henry III. It was in fact called forth ...

, 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 beginni ...

in south-west France

17th century

* 1620:

Battle of Ponts-de-Cé A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

, a rebellion by

Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (; ; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV. Marie served as regent of France between 1610 and 1617 during the minority of her son Louis XIII. Her mandate as rege ...

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 Henri II de Rohan (21 August 157913 April 1638), Duke of Rohan and Prince of Léon, was a Breton-French soldier, writer and leader of the Huguenots. Early life Rohan was born at the Château de Blain (now a part of Blain, Loire-Atlantique), in ...

in response to increasing reversals of the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

. * 1624:

Peasant rebellion This is a chronological list of revolts organized by peasants. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: * Tax resistance * So ...

Quercy Quercy (; , 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 and Auverg ...

* 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 Louis ...

, 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 . He later acquired the title ...

is defeated by royal forces. * 1635–1637:

in south-west France * 1638–1642:

in south-west France * 1639:

Revolt of the va-nu-pieds The Revolt of the ''va-nu-pieds'' (, ''barefooted ones'') was an unsuccessful popular uprising in Normandy in 1639 following King Louis XIII's decision to set up the gabelle salt tax in Cotentin in place of the privilege of the quart-bouillon. ...

, 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 Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

* 1648–1653: The

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

, a wave of revolts against the young

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

. * 1650:

Limousin Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. Named after the old province of Limousin, the administrative region was founded in 1960. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. On 1 Jan ...

* 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 The Revolt of the papier timbré was an anti-fiscal revolt in the west of Ancien Régime France, during the reign of Louis XIV from April to September 1675. It was fiercest in Lower Brittany, where it took on an anti-lordly tone and became known ...

, a rebellion in Brittany * 1693–1694: Food riots during the * 1698: Food riots

18th century

* 1702–1710:

Camisard Rebellion Camisards were Huguenots (French Protestants) of the rugged and isolated Cévennes region and the neighbouring Vaunage in southern France. In the early 1700s, they raised a resistance against the persecutions which followed Louis XIV's Revocation ...

, a prolonged local guerrilla war by Protestants of the

Cévennes The Cévennes ( , ; ) 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 geographical, ...

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 The Pontcallec conspiracy was a rebellion that arose from an anti-tax movement in Brittany between 1718 and 1720. This was at the beginning of the ''Régence'' (Regency), when France was controlled by Philippe II, Duke of Orléans during the chil ...

, 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 a ...

, 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 husk, 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 ...

and

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

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 () was an event that took place in the French town of Grenoble on 7 June 1788. It was one of the first disturbances preceding the French Revolution and is credited by a few historians as its start. Background Various econo ...

in Grenoble * 1789–1799: French Revolution, 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 riot * 1816–1817: Food riot * 1829–1830: Food riot * 1830: The

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

, which led to the abdication of

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

and establishment of the

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (), officially the ''Kingdom of France'' (), was a liberalism, liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 9 August 1830, after the revolutionary victory of the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 26 Februar ...

under

Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

. * 1831:

Canut revolt The Canut revolts () is the collective name for the major revolts by Lyonnais silk workers () which occurred in 1831, 1834 and 1848. They were among the first well-defined worker uprisings of the period known as the Industrial Revolution. The Fi ...

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

June Rebellion The June Rebellion, also called the Paris Uprising of 1832 (), was an anti-monarchist insurrection of Parisian republicans on 5 and 6 June 1832. The rebellion originated in an attempt by republicans to reverse the establishment in 1830 of t ...

, 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, political philosopher and political activist, notable for his revolutionary theory of Blanquism. Biography Early life, political activity and first impris ...

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 upris ...

, Martin Bernard, and the

Société des Saisons Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as 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 S.A. Lactalis is the largest dairy pr ...

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

Lodève Lodève (; , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Hérault, in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, southern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefe ...

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

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (), also known as the February Revolution (), was a period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation of the French Second Republic. It sparked t ...

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

French Second Republic The French Second Republic ( or ), officially the French Republic (), was the second republican government of France. It existed from 1848 until its dissolution in 1852. Following the final defeat of Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle ...

. * 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 pre ...

, an event played out in the streets of

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 ...

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 () was an uprising staged by French workers 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 and a minimal source of income f ...

, 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 of ...

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

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

, a radical socialist and revolutionary government that took power in the aftermath of the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

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 , ) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately from the Swiss border. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort. Belfort is from Paris and from Basel. The residents of the city ...

and Marseille * 1906–1907: Violent strikes * 1907:

Revolt of the Languedoc winegrowers The Revolt of the Languedoc winegrowers was a mass movement in 1907 in Languedoc and the Pyrénées-Orientales of France that was repressed by the government of Georges Clemenceau. It was caused by a serious crisis in winemaking at the start of th ...

* 1908: Strikes in Nantes * 1910–1911: Champagne Riots, resulted from a series of problems faced by

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

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, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

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. () is a French-language play by Romanian-born ...

''. * 1926:

Bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday may refer to: Historical events Canada * Bloody Sunday (1923), a day of police violence during a steelworkers' strike for union recognition in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia * Bloody Sunday (1938), police violence agai ...

, political clashes that occurred in

Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...

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 ...

on August 22, 1926. * 1934:

6 February 1934 crisis The 6 February 1934 crisis (also known as the Veterans' Riot) was an anti-parliamentarist street demonstration in Paris, organized by multiple far-right leagues that culminated in a riot on the Place de la Concorde, near the building used for t ...

, an

anti-parliamentarist A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of the legisl ...

street demonstration in Paris organized by

far-right league The far-right leagues () 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 often used in the 1930s to distin ...

s that culminated in a riot * 1936:

General strike A general strike is 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 coalitions ...

by one million workers * 1947:

1947 strikes in France The 1947 strikes in France were a series of insurrectionary labour actions against post-war wage stagnation and Western capitalism. The strikes first emerged as a spontaneous wave in late April at the nation's largest Renault factory. When the ...

, 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 French Fourth Republic, Fourth ...

* 1961:

Algiers putsch of 1961 The Algiers putsch (; or ), also known as the putsch of the generals (), was a failed coup d'état intended to force French President Charles de Gaulle not to abandon French Algeria, the resident European community and pro-French Algerians. Org ...

* 1968:

May 1968 events in France May 68 () was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Initially sparked by student demonstrations agains ...

, 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, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 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 the Rhône, ...

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 communes of France, commune in the Yvelines departments of France, department, Île-de-France, north central France. it is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Name In the ...

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 Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, f ...

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. * 1992: French truckers and farmers protested the implementation of a new driver's license point system by blocking roads. * 1995: Rioting in several eastern suburbs of Lyon following the police killing of terrorist

Khaled Kelkal Khaled Kelkal () (April 28, 1971 – September 29, 1995) was a French and Algerian terrorist affiliated with the GIA. He was involved in the 1995 terror bombings in France. Biography Khaled Kelkal was born in 1971 in Mostaganem, Algeria. The ...

, a key organizer of the

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

* 1997: Rioting occurred in

Dammarie-lès-Lys Dammarie-lès-Lys (; officially Dammarie-les-Lys) is a commune in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, z ...

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 was a three-week long period of civil disturbances that took place in Paris#Suburbs, the suburbs of Paris and Urban area (France), other French cities in October and November 2005. These riots involved youth in violent attac ...

, 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, 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 precipitate ...

, 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 Anne Émilie Pécresse (; Birth name, née Roux ; 14 July 1967) is a French politician who has been the President of the Regional Council (France), President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France since 2015. A member of The Republic ...

. * 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 9 July 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. It is referred to, both legally and commonly, as () in French, though ''la fête nationale'' is also u ...

(14 July) in the commune of

Montreuil Montreuil is a French place name derived from Medieval Latin , "Little Monastery". It most often refers to Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis (aka Montreuil-sous-Bois), a French commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, Seine-St-Denis department. It ma ...

, 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 ...

, 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, 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. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

, included many road blockades, fires, overturned vehicles, and the blockade of roads leading to the two major airports in Paris. * 2016:

Nuit debout Nuit debout is a French social movement that began on 31 March 2016, arising out of protests against proposed labor reforms known as the El Khomri law or ''Loi travail''. The movement was organized around a broad aim of "overthrowing the El Kho ...

, 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-

Arson attacks in Grenoble The wave of arson attacks in Grenoble is a series of arson attacks in France that have occurred since March 2017, in the Grenoble metropolitan area, the most publicized of which were those of the warehouse of the Isère Gendarmerie group and the ...

, generally against government and private buildings in Grenoble and his its surroundings * 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 Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...

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

Molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see '') is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a Fuse (explosives), fuse (typically a glass bottle filled wit ...

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 ...

." 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 officers who act in the role of riot police in particular situations, or they may be separate unit ...

responded with batons and

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

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

Yellow vests movement The yellow vests protests or yellow-jacket protests (, ) were a series of Populism, populist, grassroots weekly protests in France that began on 17 November 2018 and ended on 28 June 2020. Some minor protests started again after the restriction ...

(French: Gilets jaunes protests) over dissatisfaction with wealth disparity and ongoing increases to fuel taxes. * 2022: 2022 Corsica unrest by Corsican nationalists in response to prison attack on

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

* 2022:

2022 Paris shooting On 23 December 2022, a mass shooting occurred at three Kurds in France, Kurdish locations in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, 10th arrondissement of Paris, France. Three people were killed, and three others were wounded in and around a Kurdish c ...

, protests after the killing of three

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

in Paris. * 2023:

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 ...

due to the planned raise in retirement age from 62 to 64 years old. * 2023:

Nahel Merzouk protests A series of riots in France began on 27 June 2023 following the Killing of Nahel Merzouk, fatal shooting of Nahel Merzouk in an encounter with two police officers in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris. Residents started a protest outside the police hea ...

and unrest after the killing of a teenager by police near Paris. * 2024:

2024 French farmers' protests The 2024 French farmers' protests are a series of protests and Blockade#Civil disobedience, road blockages organized non unionized farmers and agricultural unions (Fédération nationale des syndicats d'exploitants agricoles, FNSEA, , , ) since 1 ...

against low food prices, proposed reductions in state subsidies for farmers' diesel fuel, and a EU-Mercosur free trade agreement. * 2024:

2024 New Caledonia unrest In May 2024, protests and riots broke out in New Caledonia, a Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of overseas France in the Pacific Ocean. The violent protests led to at least 13 deaths, the declaration of a States of emergency ...

against a reform changing conditions that prevent up to one-fifth of the population from voting in provincial elections. * 2024: In May 2024, police entered France's prestigious

Sciences Po Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

university and removed student activists who had occupied its buildings overnight in protest against Israel's conduct in its war against Hamas in Gaza. The young protesters shouting pro-Palestinian chants as they faced off with police. Students faced a “disproportionate” response from police. * 2024: In July 2024, French Prime Minister

Gabriel Attal Gabriel Nissim Attal de Couriss (; born 16 March 1989) is a French politician who was the prime minister of France from January to September 2024. He was the youngest and the first openly Gay man, gay prime minister in French history. A member ...

announced his resignation after a far-left coalition won a plurality of parliamentary seats in a major upset. Massive protests and celebrations erupted in Paris, leading to confrontations with police and instances of rioting.

References

{{reflist Incidents of civil unrest