French government says 320,000 people protested nationwide on Saturday, fewer than in previous weeks
Authorities said 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed as youth-led marches spread over education and the cost of living.
- Hundreds of thousands of mostly young protesters marched across France on Saturday against rising living costs and education conditions, with youth-led demonstrations also spreading to Germany and Italy.
- The movement began last month with high school students protesting neglected school buildings and unfair university admissions, then broadened to include labor unions and activists angry over inflation and inequality.
- Government estimates indicate 320,000 people rallied nationwide, including 70,000 in Paris, where authorities deployed 70,000 security personnel and rerouted marches to the city's outskirts to prevent unrest.
- Although marches remained largely peaceful for hours, clashes erupted near the end of the procession as protesters threw projectiles, prompting police to respond with tear gas, stun grenades, and baton charges.
- The demonstrations occur amid a febrile political climate, with presidential elections six months away and far-right leader Marine Le Pen currently leading opinion polls, creating pressure on President Emmanuel Macron's government.
88 Articles
88 Articles
The third day of mobilization against expensive life brought together hundreds of thousands of people in France, before clashes broke out in several major cities.
Sydney Morning Herald
Hundreds of arrests as protesters clash with police in France
Hundreds of people have been arrested in France after protesters clashed with police for a third weekend.
The rallies in France were only peaceful, after which there were clashes with the police in many places.
Contrary to the hopes of the government, the mobilization did not weaken for this third day of demonstrations. The demands against expensive life and for the defense of national education remain, but a deaf anger rises against the power that barricades behind the repression.
In France, hundreds of thousands of protests against high cost of living and maladministration in the education system have once again taken to the streets, and violent clashes with the police have occurred in several cities.
On the third Saturday in a row hundreds of thousands of people protested in France - only peacefully, but in the end there were again clashes with the police. This remains on alert even after the end of the protests. By J. Borutta.
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