French authorities made nearly 1,000 arrests on Saturday after a new wave of mass demonstrations over the cost of living and school conditions was followed by scattered violent clashes in major cities. The nationwide protests brought hundreds of thousands of people into the streets, while similar anti-government rallies occurred in several other European locations.
According to the French Interior Ministry, an estimated 410,000 people took part in Saturday's demonstrations, whereas trade unions reported attendance figures closer to 800,000. To prevent a repeat of extensive disorder seen during previous protests, officials deployed approximately 70,000 police officers across the country. French President Emmanuel Macron had previously decreed that only rallies organised by recognised trade unions would be allowed.
Clashes Reported in Major French Cities
Although the initial demonstrations were mostly peaceful, confrontations erupted late in the day as security forces moved to disperse crowds. In Paris, police deployed tear gas, water cannon, and elite tactical units after some demonstrators erected street barricades and threw projectiles at officers. Authorities reported that around 500 individuals identified as rioters had joined the rear of the main march.
Disturbances were also recorded in several other French urban centres. In Marseille and Bordeaux, protesters set fire to makeshift barricades and dismantled wooden boards from buildings. Officers in Lyon used tear gas grenades against a crowd gathered in a restricted area, while French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that two individuals suffered serious injuries during events in Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand.
Demonstrations Spread Across Europe
The unrest follows even larger demonstrations held the previous weekend, when roughly 550,000 people protested rising fuel costs and economic hardship. Those earlier events resulted in more than 2,500 arrests, around 1,000 injured police officers, and hundreds of millions of euros in commercial damage, according to business organisations.
Economic frustration and public dissatisfaction also triggered unrest outside France on Saturday. Authorities in Barcelona, Spain, arrested over 100 people after student protests turned violent, while riot police used tear gas against anti-government marchers in Tirana, Albania. Further clashes occurred in Brussels, Belgium, and hundreds of security personnel were deployed in Milan, Italy, to prevent public gatherings.
Source: BBC News
