France: Clashes break out as protests go nationwide
At least 410,000 people have taken part in protests across France, with clashes reported in several cities including Paris, Marseille and Lyon.
At least 410,000 people have taken part in protests across France, with clashes reported in several cities including Paris, Marseille and Lyon. The demonstrations, approved in Paris and Marseille but not in other cities, saw police using tear gas to disperse protesters wearing masks in Lyon.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had admitted on Monday a 'loss of control' last Saturday, prompting authorities to increase the number of police deployed across France by 10,000 to 70,000 this Saturday. The much-feared mass looting and ransacking that saw at least 3,000 shops destroyed last weekend has not yet materialized.
Paris protests
Paris police reported 110,000 protesters on Saturday, with the anti-government 'Yellow Vest' movement teaming up with aggrieved school students. Demonstrations were limited to the city's southeastern edge, away from the center, with authorities preparing to help protesters march safely from Place d'Italie to Porte de Vincennes.
Last weekend, our neighborhood resembled a war zone with gangs roaming the area. Today, it's completely empty apart from police with their vans.
Nationwide clashes
Clashes between protesters and police began in the late afternoon in several cities, with police using tear gas in Lyon, Lille, Toulouse and Nantes. In Marseille, police fired tear gas to disperse crowds as demonstrations spread beyond approved locations.
The CGT trade union claimed 800,000 participated in protests across France, with 250,000 in Paris, significantly higher than the government's estimate. Police arrested 135 people and seized various weapons including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft weapons.
Political tensions
In Orleans, south of Paris, protesters demonstrated against Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party, which is holding a two-day congress in the city. According to polls, Le Pen is the frontrunner in France's presidential elections next year. Protesters carried signs expressing solidarity with the leftist Antifa movement and the Palestinians, with some invoking Nazi occupation and the Vichy regime.
The Yellow Vest movement, which was central to protests from 2018 to 2020 against rising fuel prices, has called for new demonstrations on October 31. Organizers want fresh rallies and a sit-in outside parliament and city halls nationwide to protest what they call the 'authoritarian drift' of President Emmanuel Macron.
Regional impact
As unrest in France spreads to European neighbors, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has ordered 500 additional soldiers to Milan to join hundreds already stationed there. The northern city is bracing for more protests after violence on October 17, with authorities conducting drone surveillance and monitoring potential calls to violence online.
Major Paris museums and landmarks including the Louvre, Orsay Museum, Picasso Museum, Grand Palais and Arc de Triomphe were closed due to security fears. The contemporary art fair Art Basel Paris canceled its entire weekend program. Albania, Spain and Portugal are also seeing waves of protests over long-standing issues including education deficiencies and affordable housing shortages.
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