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France faced widespread protests on Saturday over rising living costs, wages, and education funding, prompting authorities to deploy up to 70,000 police officers nationwide.
France deployed up to 70,000 police officers on Saturday as demonstrations over rising living costs, wages and education funding spread across the country, prompting authorities to impose extensive security measures. The mobilisation followed violent unrest during the previous weekend, when around 3,000 shops were reportedly damaged or looted and several public buildings were left scarred.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police had arrested 135 people and seized various weapons in connection with the latest demonstrations. He had previously acknowledged that officers lost control in some cities during the earlier clashes and offered his resignation, which President Emmanuel Macron rejected.
Security forces deployed helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannons as authorities sought to prevent further violence. Several cities restricted or prohibited rallies, while businesses and cultural institutions took precautionary measures amid concerns over public safety.
Paris march route restricted, major museums shut
In Paris, authorities restricted a major union-organised march, moving it from the traditional Bastille-to-Nation route to a stretch between Porte d’Italie and Porte de Vincennes. Police used megaphones to warn people gathered at Bastille that they could face fines if they remained in the restricted area. The Yellow Vests movement indicated it would defy the order.
Authorities in Lyon, Nice and Montpellier also banned certain rallies. Police used tear gas to disperse crowds in Lyon and other locations as tensions continued.
Several prominent cultural institutions, including the Louvre, Orsay Museum, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais, closed for the day because of security concerns. Art Basel also cancelled its weekend programme. Across Paris, shopkeepers boarded up storefronts to protect their businesses against possible vandalism and looting.
The demonstrations have placed additional pressure on Macron's government as his popularity remains at its lowest level since he took office in 2017.
Students, workers demand reforms as unrest deepens
The protests began last month following staff shortages at a high school near Paris but subsequently expanded into a broader movement against the cost of living and pressure on public services.
Students are demanding 250,000 additional higher-education places, changes to the university admissions system, more teachers, school repairs, higher grants and a rent freeze for student accommodation. Workers and trade unions are seeking higher wages and pensions to address mounting financial pressures.
Demonstrators carried banners reading “We are fed up”, while some called for Macron's resignation. Thousands also marched in Orléans against the far right, coinciding with a National Rally party congress.
Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon attended an authorised protest in Paris and warned that demonstrations would continue weekly unless the government addressed the protesters' demands.
The unrest comes amid wider discontent across Europe, where protests over living costs and public services have also emerged in Italy, Spain, Albania and Portugal. France's latest demonstrations highlight the growing challenge facing authorities as demands for economic relief and improvements to public services intensify.
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