France Sees Round of Student Protests, 146,000 Join Nationwide
France’s latest weekend of demonstrations drew 146,000 people nationwide, according to the Interior Ministry, as students and unions protested over living costs, wages and public services. Organizers put turnout above 250,000. Clashes were reported in four cities, and authorities said about 350 people had been arrested.
France saw a new round of student and labor protests on Saturday, with the Interior Ministry counting 146,000 demonstrators nationwide and reporting about 350 arrests amid clashes in several cities.
The protests centered on the cost of living, wages and support for young people. Organizers estimated turnout at more than 250,000, while the ministry said about 46,000 people marched in Paris.
Authorities had expected up to 170,000 protesters across France, including 60,000 in the capital. The ministry’s total was below that forecast.
Paris’ authorized march from République to Nation proceeded peacefully before tensions broke out in the evening. Police said about 200 people attacked law enforcement after officers arrested a man accused of setting fire to a trash can, according to the Paris police headquarters.
Clashes between police and protesters were also reported in Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux. Tear gas was used during isolated incidents in Paris.
Students and labor unions had called the central Paris march “against the high cost of living and in support of young people.” The protests began with student demands for improvements to the national education system, while unions called for wage increases and tax reforms.
The Yellow Vest movement did not join the student rally. Instead, members held a banned event at Place de la Concorde in Paris, where two of the movement’s leading figures, Benjamin Ball and Solene Azelma Sigaux, were arrested and taken into custody.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 70,000 police and security forces would be deployed across the country over the weekend. He said authorities would “be ready” for “rioters and looters.”
The latest demonstrations followed weeks of protests over rising living costs and public services. Police made more than 600 arrests during a nationwide strike on Thursday, which included blockades and other protest actions.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is scheduled to meet trade and employee unions on Monday. An inter-union coalition said: “The only thing that will bring the protests to an end is a response to the demands that have been put forward for several weeks by workers, civil servants, young people and pensioners.”
The government has said it intends to raise the minimum wage and increase funding for schools and teaching staff. France’s public debt stands at 119% of gross domestic product, according to the report.
