France: Hundreds arrested after nationwide protests

The protests, which drew roughly 410,000 participants across 289 demonstrations, were largely peaceful but saw clashes in major cities. Riot police in Paris fired tear gas and water cannons at a group of about 500 hooded youths, while youths in Marseille blocked roads by setting trash cans on fire and throwing rocks and bottles at security forces.

The unrest was driven by anger over rising living costs and growing inequality. In Paris, the anti-government "Yellow Vest" movement teamed up with aggrieved school students for the demonstrations.

The reported arrests and violence were substantially lower than on October 17, when authorities recorded 2,628 detentions and 1,144 injured security personnel. Last Saturday, the violence had seen buildings defaced and burned, and some 1,500 shops looted across the country.

The situation was described as a "relatively calm end-of-demonstration situation" by DW reporter Lisa Louis in Paris, noting that clashes between police and demonstrators are a common part of the French protest ritual.

The protests were not limited to France, with demonstrations also taking place in Italy. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ordered 500 soldiers to be dispatched to Milan, in addition to about 5,000 police and other law enforcement personnel, but the protests in the large Italian city were less unruly than last weekend.

Lower turnout than previous weekend

The Interior Ministry counted 410,000 participants at the demonstrations, down from 550,000 a week earlier. Other estimates put Saturday's turnout as high as 800,000, with the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) trade union claiming 800,000 people participated in protests across France, with 250,000 in Paris alone.

Authorities prepared to help protesters march safely from the Place d'Italie in the 13th arrondissement on the left bank of the Seine River to Porte de Vincennes, which lies further away on the right bank. Parisian authorities limited the march to the city's southeastern edge, away from the center.

The protests were also directed against the far-right National Rally party, which held a two-day congress in the city of Orleans. Protesters carried signs expressing solidarity with the leftist Antifa movement and the Palestinians, and some signs invoked Nazi occupation and the Vichy regime.

The head of the CGT trade union confederation, Sophie Binet, took part in the demonstrations in Orleans. The protests were organized by the 'October 17' movement, which arose from social media.

Security response and aftermath

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported nearly 1,000 arrests and said multiple lootings had been averted. He also stated that police had arrested 135 people and seized a variety of weapons as they deployed for nationwide demonstrations.

Authorities say nearly 1,000 arrested after day of protests in France. The number is expected to rise as security officials tally up the day's events, Nunez added.

The ministry said several investigations had been opened and described the subsequent night as calm. It did not provide a figure for injured protesters, but reported that 53 police officers and other security personnel were injured and firefighters responded to 75 fires.

The unrest has raised concerns about the political climate in France ahead of the presidential elections next year. Marine Le Pen's National Rally party is the frontrunner in the polls, and the protests have been seen as a challenge to the far-right's growing influence.