Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched across France on Saturday as demonstrations over living costs and inequality turned violent in multiple cities.
The Interior Ministry estimated 410,000 people joined protests nationwide, while unions claimed nearly 800,000 participated. In Paris, 110,000 gathered on the city’s southeastern edge, according to officials, though organizers said 250,000 attended. The march began peacefully but ended in clashes as masked protesters threw objects and fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas, sound grenades, and water cannons.
Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers, 10,000 more than the previous weekend, along with helicopters and armored vehicles to prevent a repeat of last week’s widespread looting and vandalism. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said nearly 1,000 arrests were made, a figure expected to rise, and that violence was less severe than on October 17. He blamed far-left activists and criminal gangs for provoking unrest, noting that far-right groups also clashed with leftists in Nice and Montpellier.
Clashes erupted in Marseille, where youths set fire to rubbish bins and looted shops, including two jewelry stores. Police also reported confrontations in Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Rennes, Nantes, and Toulouse. In Toulouse, one man suffered serious injuries, reportedly losing fingers, while another was injured in Clermont-Ferrand, Nuñez said.
The protests began last month as high school demonstrations over staff shortages and underfunded education before expanding into broader anger over rising costs and public services. Macron met student representatives on Friday, but they vowed to continue protesting until concrete measures were announced. The government restricted protest routes, banning marches from central Paris and confining them to the outskirts, a move critics called an attempt to stifle dissent.
Major museums, including the Louvre, closed for the day, and more than 20 metro stations shut as shopkeepers boarded up storefronts. Business groups urged retailers to stay closed after last weekend’s damage. “There are hardly any customers, so it’s not really worth staying open,” said Oskar, manager of a Paris boutique.
