New protests against the rising cost of living in France have led to nearly 1,000 arrests and clashes in Paris and other major cities. Authorities mobilized 70,000 security forces, but despite the increased police presence, the demonstrations were not without incident.
Initially, Interior Minister Laurent Nunes said that nearly 1,000 arrests had been made in the country. Later, the interior ministry reported 1,314 detainees by the morning of October 25. In Paris, 142 people were arrested, with 120 of them remaining in police custody.
“The marches went well“, said Nunez, describing the outcome as more positive than the previous week. He said the police had reacted more quickly, carried out more checks before the protests began and had better protection for businesses.
Clashes after the main march in Paris
In Paris, the main march was largely peaceful. The route was moved to the southeast of the capital by a last-minute decision by the authorities, and shops closed or fortified their windows. The Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay were also closed for the day.
However, clashes broke out after the march ended. Nunes said the confrontations lasted about two hours and involved nearly 500 participants, whom authorities described as troublemakers. Police used tear gas and batons.
Tear gas was also used in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes. In Lyon, police dispersed about 1,000 people who had gathered in the south of the city. In Nantes, thousands of demonstrators broke through police cordons backed by water cannon.
Nunes reported two serious injuries - a man in Toulouse who reportedly lost fingers in an explosion, and another man in Clermont-Ferrand. No further details were given about their conditions. Police also reported looting on the outskirts of the marches in Marseille and Grenoble.
Discrepancy in estimates of the number of participants
The French Interior Ministry reported 410,000 participants in 289 events across the country, including 110,000 in Paris. The CGT union, which organized some of the protests, estimated the national turnout at nearly 800,000 people, and for the capital, it indicated 250,000 demonstrators.
The current mobilization followed the protests of the previous week, in which, according to the authorities, 2,700 people were arrested, public buildings were damaged and hundreds of shops were looted. The government tightened restrictions to keep protesters out of city centers and shopping areas.
In Cannes and Montpellier, far-right activists took to the streets to confront far-left groups. In Orleans, thousands protested against a rally by the National Rally party that launched Marine Le Pen's election campaign. Police estimated the number of counter-protesters at 13,000, while organizers said there were twice that many.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who took part in the march in Paris, said President Emmanuel Macron "will understand that this will happen every week." The "Yellow Vest" movement called for new demonstrations on October 31.
Sources: france24.com, apnews.com