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Fewer protesters than expected turned out for the fourth weekend of mass demonstrations in France, although clashes with police were reported in several cities, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.
Authorities had expected up to 170,000 people to protest nationwide, including 60,000 in Paris.
The ministry reported a slightly lower nationwide total of 146,000 people, out of which some 46,000 took to the streets of the French capital, where the afternoon was reported to have remained mostly calm, with some isolated incidents reported in the evening involving the deployment of tear gas.
Protest organizers gave a higher nationwide count of over 250,000 protesters, which is nevertheless fewer than the 320,000 to 500,000 that were reported to have turned out last Saturday.
Clashes between police and protesters were reported in Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux.
The Interior Ministry reported some 350 arrests nationwide by the evening in connection with the protests.
Fourth week of protests in France
Students and labor unions had called an authorized central Paris march “against the high cost of living and in support of young people.”
In Paris, an authorized march proceeded peacefully from Republique to Nation, but tensions erupted after police said some 200 “violent individuals” attacked law enforcement after a man was arrested for setting fire to a trash can, according to Paris’ police headquarters.
Separately, the country’s so-called “Yellow Vest” movement — which gained notoriety eight years ago by violently protesting a proposed fuel tax hike rejected invitations to join the student rally.
Instead, the “Gilets Jaunes” held a banned event at Paris’ Place de la Concorde, close to parliament and the presidential Elysee Palace. Two of its leading figures, Benjamin Ball and Solene Azelma Sigaux, were arrested and taken into custody.
Ahead of Saturday’s protests, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 70,000 police and security forces would be deployed across the country over the weekend, adding that authorities will “be ready” for “rioters and looters.”
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Can France afford to raise wages, invest in schools?
The large police presence comes on the heels of weeks of mass demonstrations that have at times grown extremely violent, most notably on October 17, when France’s worst rioting in years resulted in more than a billion euros in damage to private and public property.
On Thursday, police made over 600 arrests during a nationwide strike that included blockades and other protest action.
Authorities say that, for the most part, protests have remained peaceful.
But there have continued to be numerous incidents of violent clashes with police, as outgoing President Emmanuel Macron and his government struggle to address public discontent over the rising cost of living.
Although Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is scheduled to meet with trade and employee unions on Monday, organizers say the only thing that will quell anger will be for the government to bow to their demands.
“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,” according to an inter-union coalition statement published on Friday.
This latest round of protests began with students calling for improvements to the national education system and unions joining in to call for wage hikes and tax reforms.
Macron’s government has said it intends to raise the minimum wage as well as increase funding for schools and teaching staff. But it finds itself in a tight fiscal spot as debt — currently 119% of GDP — continues to run out of control in the EU’s second-largest economy.
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