More than 100,000 people marched across France on Saturday for the fifth consecutive Saturday of protests against rising living costs and education policy.
The Interior Ministry counted 106,000 demonstrators nationwide, including 24,000 in Paris. That was the lowest turnout in recent weeks. Student unions put the figure at 200,000, with almost 100,000 in the capital. Police detained 219 people across the country, including 45 in Paris.
Protesters vented grievances ranging from the cost of living to a proposed law giving police greater legal protection when using firearms. In Paris, demonstrators gathered at Place de la République before marching to Place de la Nation. "We're asking to have teachers when we go to class," said Marius Mesnil, co-secretary-general of the Union Syndicale Lycéenne.
The new police bill, which backers including far-right leader Marine Le Pen say is needed to protect officers, is denounced by activists as a "license to kill." "We're scared when we come to a protest, and this will only make us even more afraid if their impunity is strengthened," said Adrien, a 20-year-old cello player. "A police officer who fires will first be presumed to have acted lawfully," said Sabrine Kharbach, a student union spokesperson.
President Emmanuel Macron's popularity is at its lowest since he took office in 2017, according to recent polls. The government has little leeway to respond as it struggles to reduce debt. Unions rejected a promise to raise the minimum wage by 0.6 percent as "crumbs" and called for strikes on Tuesday. Polls project hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon as runner-up in next year's presidential election, with the far right leading.
In Bordeaux, 72-year-old Josette sang "I have two passions: brass bands and revolution." "My children didn't want me to come," she said. "But I'm so grateful to the youth for starting this movement." In Toulouse, Kenza, a 28-year-old asylum law specialist, said: "The repression of protesters is unacceptable – even more so when they are children." Police fired tear gas in Paris, Bordeaux and Nantes. In Lyon, officers intervened to protect television reporters after protesters attacked them.
France has been gripped by high-school blockades and mass demonstrations for more than a month. The movement began with secondary school pupils demanding more staff and funding, then converged with cost-of-living protests including the Yellow Vests in mid-October. A month ago, 565,000 people took to the streets. Tuesday's planned strikes will mark the eighth anniversary of the Yellow Vest movement.
