Clashes broke out in several French cities on Saturday as hundreds of thousands of people took part in the third consecutive weekend of nationwide protests, although most demonstrations remained peaceful.
Tensions escalated on the outskirts of Paris after a march under clear skies turned violent near its final destination. Dozens of masked demonstrators dressed in black reportedly used hammers to remove paving stones and throw them at police. At least one incendiary device was also hurled at security forces.
Police responded with tear gas and several baton charges. The Paris police prefecture said that a group of several hundred rioters at the rear of the march attacked officers with projectiles, including a Molotov cocktail. Authorities said officers were working to restore public order.
Violence was also reported in Lyon, France’s third-largest city, where demonstrators threw objects at police, prompting officers to use tear gas. In the southern city of Toulouse, police deployed water cannon against an unauthorised demonstration attended by several thousand people, most of them young protesters.
Earlier in Paris, thousands of demonstrators marched through the eastern part of the city, with some wearing costumes ranging from Spider-Man to Frankenstein. A helicopter circled overhead as protesters carried placards criticising the rising cost of living and the use of tear gas.
In Nantes, demonstrator Camille Guerin, 31, said the movement opposed the rising cost of living and the far right while supporting students’ demands and greater public participation in decision-making.
French authorities estimated that around 320,000 people participated in demonstrations nationwide, including approximately 70,000 in Paris. However, youth organisations put the turnout at nearly half a million, with around 200,000 protesters in the capital.
An aide to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said security forces had prepared for potential violence on a scale comparable to the unrest witnessed two weeks earlier, when shops were looted and public buildings were set on fire. Authorities also anticipated the presence of between 400 and 800 far-left activists in Paris.
The demonstrations are taking place amid heightened political tensions, with presidential elections less than six months away and far-right leader Marine Le Pen leading opinion polls.
The protest movement, which brings together Yellow Vest activists, trade unions, high school students and university groups, initially emerged over concerns about the rising cost of living, economic inequality and deteriorating conditions in educational institutions.
However, following a security crackdown and serious injuries among protesters, demonstrators expanded their demands to include stronger protection of civil liberties and the right to protest.
Similar youth-led demonstrations have also taken place across Europe in recent weeks. Thousands of young people in Germany staged nationwide protests on Saturday.
