Hundreds of thousands of citizens protested across France on Saturday, with the French Ministry of the Interior estimating that 410,000 people were in the streets. The protests are the culmination of weeks of demonstrations over the state of public schooling, as well as other sectors in the country. Citizens are complaining about insufficient funding for education and a sharp rise in the cost of living.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that up to 70,000 police officers were deployed across France ahead of the protests, and he called on the police to be 'exceptionally quick to react' to hooligans. A curfew was introduced, and the activation of the army is mentioned. Soldiers joined police patrolling the French capital today.
Protest marches were announced in Paris and Marseille, while unauthorised gatherings were held in other cities, including Lyon, Nice, Nantes and Montpellier. More than 110,000 protesters participated in the protest march in Paris. Due to imposed restrictions, the protest procession could only move through the south-eastern part of the city, outside central Paris. The march ended with a police intervention using tear gas and water cannons, the Paris police reported. It is currently calm in Paris.
Clashes between police and protesters occurred across the country. The use of tear gas was recorded in several cities, including Paris, Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand and Strasbourg. Police in Paris, Nice and Nantes also used water cannons. Protesters threw various objects at police officers as they tried to bring the protests under control, overturned rubbish bins and set up barricades.
Sky News international correspondent John Sparks is in the centre of Marseille. Sparks describes how protesters are throwing stones and bottles at police officers. During the last 25 minutes, police have used tear gas and stun grenades to push protesters towards the city streets and alleys. Police in Marseille used tear gas.
The Paris prosecutor's office reported that 64 people were arrested in connection with the protest, of whom 40 were held in police custody. Among the arrested are six minors. Most arrests were linked to suspicions of offences related to weapons or participation in a group preparing to commit violence or damage property, the prosecutor's office stated.
In Nantes, in western France, authorities used tear gas and water cannons. The prefecture of the Pays de la Loire region and the Loire-Atlantique department reported that police intervened because individuals 'attempted to break through the prohibited perimeter where unauthorised gatherings were to be held'. Previously, the same prefecture had 'strongly recommended' that citizens avoid the city centre due to 'unauthorised gatherings'. Six people were arrested after cases of vandalism and looting were recorded in Nantes, authorities reported, and police had earlier today arrested nine people 'in connection with violent incidents'.
Police in Bordeaux, in southern France, reported that some protesters were throwing objects at police officers, attacking law enforcement personnel and setting up barricades on Place de la Bourse square. They called on citizens to avoid the area.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that police had arrested 135 people across the country during the protests and seized various weapons. Among the seized items were metal balls, lead shot, pyrotechnic devices, whips, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft guns. Nuñez added that there had been 'no major incidents' so far.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the La France Insoumise party and the radical left candidate in the presidential election, is participating in the protest procession in Paris. Mélenchon said that the protests would continue every week until Emmanuel Macron and his government responded to citizens' demands. He said Macron would 'understand that this will repeat every week' and called on the French president to meet the demands of students, telling him he 'still has time to back down'. Macron met with student representatives yesterday for the first time since the protests began a month ago.
