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Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across France on Saturday to demonstrate against the rising cost of living and strained public services, the Interior Ministry said.
Saturday’s demonstrations drew their lowest turnout in recent weeks. Some 106,000 people marched through French cities, with 24,000 in Paris alone. The previous weekend, some 146,000 people had participated nationwide.
The number of arrests was also significantly lower. Police detained 219 people across the country, according to the Interior Ministry.
Although the demonstrations were largely peaceful, police fired tear gas in Paris, Bordeaux and the western city of Nantes, including after some protesters shot fireworks.
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France’s protests expose deeper anger
Mass protests have swept across the European Union’s second-largest economy for more than a month.
What began in September as student protests against teacher shortages and poor facilities has since evolved into a broader movement fuelled by anger over the rising cost of living, strained public services and police brutality.
In mid-October, around 565,000 people took to the streets across France, as riots, looting and clashes disrupted demonstrations in several cities.
As France entered its fifth consecutive weekend of nationwide unrest, President Emmanuel Macron‘s approval ratings fell to the lowest level since he took office in 2017, according to recent polls.
The French government doesn’t have much room to respond to the protesters’ demands due to its high debt.
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