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Demonstrators protesting rising living costs and declining public services clashed with police in Paris and Marseille on Saturday, AnewZ reported. Protests continued across France for a fourth consecutive weekend.
About 146,000 people took part in demonstrations nationwide on Nov. 7, including 46,000 in Paris, according to France’s Interior Ministry. Organizers and trade unions put the turnout higher, at 250,000 nationwide and 75,000 in the capital.
French media reported that about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed across the country to maintain order and prevent vandalism.
In Paris, about 200 demonstrators moved toward police, throwing various objects and setting off improvised fireworks. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, and several protesters were detained. Officers said one demonstrator set fire to a garbage bin while trying to avoid arrest.
Clashes also broke out in Marseille, where protesters threw tear-gas canisters back toward police. As confrontations intensified in the streets, police used batons.
French media reported that Saturday’s protests drew fewer participants than demonstrations during the previous three weekends.
The latest clashes came three days after nationwide demonstrations held as part of a one-day strike by public-sector workers. Although Wednesday’s protests were largely peaceful, clashes were reported in Paris and Lyon. The incidents have increased pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s government over wages, purchasing power and public services.
The demonstrations have also highlighted discontent over the education system and the prices of everyday goods.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is expected to meet trade union and employer group representatives on Monday to discuss wages and household purchasing power.
The talks will take place as protests continue in France, where some of the most serious civil unrest in recent years has occurred.
