Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested following mass protests across France, with clashes breaking out in several cities after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets over the rising cost of living and poor school conditions.
Although the demonstrations were largely peaceful during the day on Saturday, police later deployed tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds in cities including Paris.
In Marseille, protesters set up burning barricades, while some demonstrators in Bordeaux removed boards from a building to construct street barriers.
The French Interior Ministry estimated that 410,000 people participated in Saturday’s demonstrations, while trade unions put the turnout at about 800,000.
Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and introduced restrictions in several cities to prevent a repeat of the widespread violence, looting and destruction recorded during the previous weekend’s protests.
French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier announced that only demonstrations organised by recognised trade unions would be permitted.
The authorities have also jailed hundreds of people for offences including vandalism, arson and looting following expedited court proceedings in recent days.
In Paris, clashes erupted after a peaceful march from Porte d’Italie towards Porte de Vincennes.
Some protesters erected makeshift barricades and threw objects at police officers, while riot police charged groups of masked youths accused of smashing windows at a car dealership.
An elite police unit normally involved in tackling organised crime and terrorism was also deployed.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said “several thousand radical activists gathered at the rear of the march, including around 500 individuals identified as rioters”, according to the AFP news agency.
Violence was also reported in other cities.
In Marseille, demonstrators set rubbish bins on fire and used metal sheets to block roads, while a law enforcement vehicle was seen driving through a burning barricade.
In Lyon, police fired tear gas grenades to disperse a crowd that had reportedly gathered in an area prohibited by local authorities.
“There were around 150 of us, mostly secondary school and university students. Then the tear gas came almost immediately. You could barely see anything in the street,” a protester in Lyon said.
Nuñez said nearly 1,000 people had been arrested by late Saturday, adding that the figure was expected to rise.
He also reported that two people had been “seriously injured”: one in Toulouse, in south-western France, and another in Clermont-Ferrand, in the country’s central region.
Speaking to the BBC during the demonstration in Paris, a protester identified as Zelie said widespread frustration had driven people to the streets, adding that they had been “suffering a lot” since Macron assumed office.
“They keep us quiet. They take our money, they tax us a lot and we can’t say anything. Today we are in the streets because it’s been too long, it’s been too much,” the 26-year-old said.
Two masked teenage demonstrators, who declined to disclose their identities, said young people felt abandoned by the government and had become increasingly desperate.
One of them condemned the looting witnessed during the previous weekend’s protests but attributed the unrest to economic hardship and police conduct.
“I think looting is really not good,” one of the demonstrators said of last Saturday’s disorder. “But it’s because of poverty and the violence of the police.”
He added that the demonstrations would continue “when we have a response to our demands. We really want a change in France”.
Meanwhile, about 13,000 people attended a peaceful rally in Orléans against the hard-right National Rally party.
Protests over similar grievances also spread to other European cities on Saturday.
In Tirana, the Albanian capital, riot police fired tear gas at thousands of anti-government demonstrators, while clashes were reported in Brussels, Belgium.
In Milan, Italy, hundreds of soldiers joined police in a major security operation to prevent protesters from gathering amid fears of renewed violence.
Last weekend, about 550,000 people participated in demonstrations across France over rising fuel prices and living costs, following weeks of student protests.
The unrest that followed led to more than 2,500 arrests, while more than 2,000 shops and other businesses were reportedly affected.
France’s Chambers of Commerce and Industry estimated the damage at “hundreds of millions euros”.
AFP also reported that one demonstrator lost a hand after being struck by a police crowd-control grenade, while about 1,000 police officers were injured.
The authorities subsequently imposed overnight curfews in Paris and other cities following the violence.
The protests come six months before France’s presidential election, with leading contenders blaming Macron and his ministers for the crisis.
