Following protests by hundreds of thousands of people in France against inflation and poor, inadequate conditions in schools, clashes broke out between demonstrators and police in various cities on Saturday night, resulting in the arrest of hundreds of individuals.
According to the French Ministry of Interior, approximately 410,000 people participated in Saturday’s demonstrations, while labor unions estimated the number of participants to be around 800,000.
After a day of largely peaceful protests, police in several cities—including Paris—used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators. In Marseille, barricades were set on fire, while in Bordeaux, some individuals tore wooden planks from a shop.
However, authorities have so far succeeded in preventing a large-scale recurrence of the unrest and looting seen last weekend—events that were ranked among the worst instances of civil disorder in modern French history.
Approximately 70,000 police officers were deployed to maintain law and order during these latest demonstrations. Restrictions were also imposed in several cities to ensure that the protests against inflation and poor school conditions would not escalate into the kind of turmoil witnessed last week, when police were overwhelmed by the number of protesters, hundreds of businesses were looted, and buildings were set ablaze.
Earlier this week, President Emmanuel Macron ordered that only demonstrations organized by recognized labor unions would be permitted. Over the past few days, following expedited judicial proceedings, hundreds of individuals have been sentenced to prison for their alleged involvement in acts of vandalism, arson, and looting.
On Saturday in Paris, clashes erupted between protesters and police at the conclusion of a peaceful march that stretched from Porte d’Italie to Porte de Vincennes. The police response included a specialized unit typically deployed to counter organized crime and terrorism.
Some protesters were observed erecting makeshift barricades and throwing objects at police officers, while the police used batons against groups of masked youths who were smashing the windows of a car dealership.
According to the news agency AFP, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that “several thousand extremist activists” had gathered during the final days of the march, including approximately 500 individuals identified as instigators of the unrest.
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