France sees new demonstrations a week after riots, with nearly 1,000 detained
Protests over the cost of living took place across France on Saturday, with clashes in several cities and nearly 1,000 people arrested. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called the outcome more positive than a week earlier, though anger at the government's approach persists.
Demonstrations against the rising cost of living were held in Paris and other French cities on Saturday, 24 October, and clashes with police broke out in several places. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested. The marches came a week after protests that degenerated into rioting, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to restore order. France goes to the polls in six months to choose his successor after his 10 years in office.
Security forces and injuries
The authorities deployed 70,000 security personnel nationwide. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said officers faced "an extremely elevated level of violence" from black-clad "ultra-left" extremists. Riot police fired tear gas in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes. Two people were seriously injured: a man in Toulouse who reportedly had fingers blown off, and another person in Clermont-Ferrand. The minister gave no further details.
The previous week's unrest saw public buildings vandalised, hundreds of shops looted and 2,700 people arrested. Nuñez said this time the outcome was more "positive", citing more officers on the streets acting more quickly, more checks before the demonstrations and better protection for businesses.
Turnout and how the day unfolded
Estimates from the authorities and from the organising CGT union put national turnout between 410,000 and 800,000, and the main Paris march between 110,000 and 250,000. In Paris, where many shops boarded up their windows and the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay closed, the march passed off largely peacefully, but clashes erupted as the crowd dispersed. Nuñez said they lasted two hours and involved "500 rioters".
The government had ordered police to keep protesters out of city centres, and partial curfews were imposed in some urban zones in Paris and other cities. Macron had ordered non-union demonstrations banned as "illegitimate", a crackdown that many see as an attack on the right to protest.
In Cannes and Montpellier, far-right activists took to the streets seeking confrontations with "ultra-left militants", which authorities described as unprecedented. Looting was reported in Marseille and Grenoble. In Orléans, thousands protested against a rally by Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party launching her presidential campaign; police counted 13,000 counter-protesters, organisers twice as many. The Yellow Vests called for further protests on 31 October, and far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon said they would repeat every week.
Inflation in France, especially fuel costs, has surged since the Middle East war began in February.
