Orléans awoke on Saturday, October 24, physically and politically bisected. South of the Loire river, the Rassemblement national gathered thousands of supporters inside the CO’Met Arena for a party congress designed to project momentum. North of the river, a heavily restricted antifascist march moved through a cityscape locked down by authorities.
While the administrative court upheld a ban on unauthorized assemblies across the commune—including a legal challenge brought by the Sud-PTT Loiret union against the prohibition of the antifascist demonstration—thousands still turned out. According to estimates cited by Le Monde, roughly 26,000 people participated according to organizers, while the prefecture of the Loiret placed the figure at half that amount. Demonstrators gathered near the city’s theater, drawing locals alongside participants from Île-de-France, Brittany, Nice, and Ventimiglia.
Bridges Blocked and Commuters Filtered
Security measures drastically reshaped the urban geography of Orléans for the weekend. Only emergency services, law enforcement personnel, journalists, and local residents were permitted to cross the bridges spanning the Loire. Travel into the area faced strict bottlenecks, with authorities implementing rigorous identity checks and searches.
As Le Monde detailed, passengers arriving by train from Paris underwent searches at both departure and arrival points. Meanwhile, buses traveling from the Parisian region were intercepted at the La Chapelle toll plaza. Law enforcement stopped three coaches carrying approximately 220 undocumented individuals, turning them back toward the capital under police escort.
Jordan Bardella Re-elected Amid Internal Pressures
Eurodeputy Jordan Bardella secured re-election as president of the Rassemblement national with 99 percent of the vote from participating militants, standing as the sole candidate for the post, Le HuffPost reported.
Yet behind the formal facade, tensions flared involving the party’s internal security service, known as the DPS. Moments before the event began at the venue, a video team from Mediapart was targeted by militants in the stands, heckled by the audience, and temporarily removed from the hall. The incident followed weeks of friction between the investigative outlet and RN leadership over published reports concerning controversial youthful writings attributed to Bardella—writings that the party leader strongly disputes.
Reporting from the floor also highlighted unconventional security protocols enacted by the organizers. Independent reporter Paul Larrouturou noted on social media that security personnel explicitly referenced the risk posed by Femen activists, the feminist group known for staging bare-chested protests at political gatherings.
National Protests and Ongoing Labor Demands
The friction in Orléans unfolded against a broader backdrop of national unrest. Across France, separate demonstrations on October 24 drew crowds mobilizing over purchasing power and public services, particularly education, following weeks of student demonstrations. The Ministry of the Interior estimated national turnout at 410,000 demonstrators, while the CGT union calculated the figure at 800,000.
