France protests draw hundreds of thousands as clashes erupt in several cities

Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated across France on Saturday during a third consecutive weekend of protests over the cost of living, police violence, inequality and deteriorating education conditions. The marches were largely peaceful, but clashes later broke out in several cities, prompting police to use tear gas, baton charges and water cannon. The Interior Ministry said about 320,000 people took part nationwide, including 70,000 in Paris.

Youth organisations put the total nearer half a million, with 200,000 protesters in the capital. The different estimates were reported by the South China Morning Post and reflect a significant gap over the size of the demonstrations. In Paris, the main march took place on the outskirts of the capital.

The South China Morning Post reported that dozens of masked people in black used hammers to prise up paving stones and throw them at police, while at least one incendiary device was directed at security forces. The police prefecture described a “hard core of several hundred rioters” and said officers were acting to restore public order. Other confrontations were reported in Lyon and Toulouse.

In Lyon, projectiles were thrown at police and officers responded with tear gas, according to a journalist cited by the South China Morning Post. In Toulouse, police used water cannon against an unauthorised demonstration attended by several thousand people, mostly young protesters. The Interior Ministry said more than 290 people were arrested across France.

The ministry said declared marches had proceeded smoothly overall, while claiming that radical groups in Bordeaux, Toulouse and Marseille had tried to enter city centres to carry out vandalism and looting. Authorities had prepared for possible violence comparable to unrest two weeks earlier, when shops were looted and public buildings set alight. Social-media calls had also urged protesters to turn Halloween gatherings into a “revolution”.

The movement combines Yellow Vest activists, trade unions, and high school and university students. Its original focus on living costs and inequality has expanded after a security clampdown and serious injuries to some demonstrators, with demands now including civil liberties and the right to protest. Placards and costumes gave the marches a Halloween character, while some participants insisted demonstrations could remain festive and peaceful.

Students said they would continue their campaign. Sabrine Kharbach of the Union Etudiante said universities and high schools would be blockaded on Tuesday and Thursday before students joined a workers’ and trade-union demonstration on 5 November. Hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon attended the Paris march and accused President Emmanuel Macron’s government of becoming increasingly authoritarian.

The protests come less than six months before presidential elections, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen topping opinion polls, according to the report. France’s economy is also described as being close to recession and under pressure to reduce debt, limiting the government’s room for additional spending. Similar youth-led demonstrations were reported in Germany, while French shopkeepers in some areas barricaded their businesses ahead of the marches.