France sees 320,000 protest as police clash with masked groups
Interior ministry counts show attendance down from last week, but violent skirmishes erupted in Paris, Lyon, and Toulouse as evening fell.
By James Anderson ·
French residents faced a third weekend of demonstrations this Saturday as police confronted masked groups in several major cities. The interior ministry reported that approximately 320,000 people participated in rallies across the country. This number represents a drop from the estimated 410,000 attendees recorded during the previous weekend's protests.
In Paris, around 70,000 demonstrators marched along boulevards on the southeastern outskirts. The route started near the Porte de Bagnolet and ended near the Porte de Charenton, deliberately avoiding the city center. Many participants carried placards with slogans about the cost of living and public services. Some marchers wore Halloween costumes, blending the holiday with their political message.
Violence broke out as the Parisian crowd reached its destination. Dozens of masked individuals dressed in black used hammers to remove paving stones. They threw the stones at security forces, and French media reported that at least one incendiary device was also thrown. Police responded with tear gas and baton charges to manage the situation.
The Paris police prefecture described a hard core of several hundred rioters attacking officers with projectiles. A Molotov cocktail was among the items thrown. In other cities, tensions also escalated. Protesters in Lyon threw projectiles at police, leading to the use of tear gas. In Toulouse, police deployed water cannons against an unauthorized protest that drew several thousand people, mostly young demonstrators.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had warned earlier in the week that Saturday would be a day of very high risk. To prepare, the government deployed 70,000 police and gendarmes, including elite units, across the nation. The protests brought together school students, trade unions, and yellow vest activists who are united in their anger at the cost of living and government management.
Jérôme Rodrigues, a protester in Paris, criticized the government for juggling billions while families struggle with small amounts of money. Camille Guérin, a protester in Nantes, stated that the crowd was saying no to the cost of living and the far right. The student Union Étudiante announced that new school and university blockades are planned for Tuesday and Thursday. These actions will precede a demonstration called by workers and trade unions on November 5.
Protests also occurred in other European countries. In Germany, police used water cannons in Cologne and Frankfurt after protesters set off fireworks. In Berlin, bottles and eggs were thrown, while barricades were set ablaze in Hamburg. Police in Barcelona and Italy remained on alert following recent clashes in cities like Milan and Turin.
