Overview
- Protests resumed on Saturday with large turnouts across dozens of cities and the Interior Ministry estimating about 410,000 participants while unions put numbers far higher.
- The government deployed roughly 70,000 police and gendarmes, backed by helicopters, armoured vehicles, water cannon and increased patrols to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s looting and arson.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said hundreds were arrested during the day, with officials reporting 135 arrests by midday and the seizure of fireworks, ball bearings, slingshots, steel balls, a katana and other improvised weapons.
- Clashes broke out as demonstrations dispersed in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and several regional centres, where police used tear gas, water cannon and stop-and-search operations to push back groups that separated from main marches.
- The movement began with high school students over school conditions but has broadened into a wider protest about living costs and public-service cuts, and the unrest has become a political flashpoint ahead of next spring’s presidential election.