Over a Thousand Kurds Protest in Paris with Violence and Police Arrests

On January 21, 2026, a non-declared Kurdish demonstration took place at Place des Invalides in Paris, gathering approximately 1,200 participants, according to the Paris police prefecture. The protest, held from 5:00 PM to 7:45 PM, escalated when demonstrators threw projectiles, including a firework mortar, at police officers, prompting law enforcement to intervene and disperse the crowd. This intervention resulted in the arrest of eleven individuals for violence and intent to commit damage and left four police officers with minor injuries.

Additional protests occurred elsewhere in France, including in Marignane, where 400 people gathered leading to nine police officers injured, and Villiers-le-Bel, which saw eight arrests and two injured police officers. Earlier in Paris, a spontaneous gathering supporting the Syrian province of Rojava drew 400 participants and also required police action due to unrest. At Saint-Louis hospital in Paris, around 60 demonstrators entered without causing damage, but five were arrested, and six police officers were hurt during the subsequent intervention.

These demonstrations reflect rising tensions in the French Kurdish community amid ongoing political and social grievances. The scale and violence associated with these protests underscore challenges facing public order authorities in managing such unrest across multiple cities.