Clashes Erupt in Paris Amid New Protests Across France
Thousands of people protested across France on Saturday against the government. Clashes broke out between police and some protesters in Paris, even though fewer people turned out than in previous weeks.
The protests were the fourth straight weekend of demonstrations against the rising cost of living. They are happening as France prepares for presidential elections in five months. The far right sees this as its best chance yet to win power.
Protest Numbers
The interior ministry said 146,000 people took part in demonstrations across France on Saturday, including 46,000 in Paris. Unions said the number was 250,000 nationwide, with 75,000 in the capital.
These numbers were lower than the past three weekends. They also came after a big union protest on Thursday. Authorities said 575,000 people joined that protest, while unions said 1.6 million.
Clashes in Paris
At the end of the protest in Paris, police used tear gas against people throwing objects and homemade fireworks at security forces, an AFP correspondent said.
Police said a group of 200 violent people attacked officers while they were arresting a man who had set fire to a trash bin in a square.
Banned Protests Thwarted
About 70,000 security force members were deployed on Saturday. They were ready to act quickly after mass protests on October 17 turned into the worst riots seen in France in years.
Unions held a march from Place de la Republique in central Paris to Place de la Nation in the east of the city. The clashes happened at the end of that protest.
The Yellow Vests movement called for a rival demonstration at Place de la Concorde in central Paris. This place is close to the president's Élysée Palace and the lower house of parliament. The movement's protests had shaken Emmanuel Macron in the early years of his presidency almost a decade ago.
Authorities banned this action. On Saturday, a large police presence stopped protesters from getting close. About 100 people who arrived were surrounded by police. Benjamin Ball, a coordinator of the movement, and Azelma Sigaux, its spokeswoman, were among those arrested, an AFP reporter said.
In Lyon, a city in southeast France, police fired tear gas to scatter several hundred people who blocked a road in the city centre during an unauthorized gathering.
'This Can't Go On'
The protest wave started in late September when high school students became angry about conditions at their schools. University students joined them, and young people remain at the centre of the protests.
"Today is a date that helps keep the pressure on," said Sabine Kharbach, spokeswoman of the Student Union. "Many young people are mobilising because the government's responses remain unsatisfactory."
The police response has been criticised for being too harsh. Dozens of internal investigations have been started into claims of brutality against protesters.
Local businesses are also suffering. "So this can't go on, otherwise I think it will be a disaster before long," said Jean Emile Moulinier, a shop manager in Paris. His store is near the main protest route. He said hardly any customers dare to pass security barricades on protest weekends.
Shop windows in Paris and other cities were again covered with wooden shutters. Many stores stayed closed for the day to prevent possible looting.
The government is trying to find solutions but is limited by France's gigantic debt pile, which is already worrying markets.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will meet unions and employer federation representatives on Monday to discuss wages and purchasing power.
Student and teacher groups in France have called for a new strike on Tuesday. They want to pressure the government to spend more on education. They said they were "in a position of strength [and] the government in a position of weakness and starting to yield".
Polls show that far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is the favourite to win the Élysée in 2027. Her main rival is not one of Macron's former centrist allies but hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.
Melenchon, speaking to 20,000 people at a rally outside Paris on Saturday, said "we are going to win" and "everything must change".
Source: dawn