France protests end with 410,000 marching nationwide, ministry says, as Paris prosecutors report 64 arrests

About 410,000 people demonstrated across France on Saturday against school funding cuts and the rising cost of living, according to the French interior ministry, with 110,000 marching in Paris, where police fired tear gas and water cannon near the end of the protest (Associated Press).

The turnout was below last Saturday’s, when the ministry estimated about 550,000 people took to the streets nationwide. The CGT union, one of the organisers, put Saturday’s figures far higher, at 800,000 across France and 250,000 in Paris, the Associated Press reported.

Paris police said the capital remained calm overall, posting that “everything is calm in the streets of Paris” as demonstrators marched from Porte d’Italie to Porte de Vincennes along the boulevards des Maréchaux (The Connexion). But there were clashes at the tail of the Paris march, and police used tear gas in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg and Marseille, and water cannon in Nice and Nantes, according to the Associated Press.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said 64 people were arrested in connection with Saturday’s protests in the capital, with 40 remaining in police custody, including six minors, most held on suspected weapons offences or for participating in groups preparing violence or property damage (Associated Press).

Outside the capital, a march in Clermont-Ferrand grew to about 2,000 people, with police using tear gas after some demonstrators tried to move beyond the authorised route, while in Orléans a demonstration against the National Rally congress drew 13,000 people by police estimates and 26,000 by organisers’ counts, The Connexion reported.

Saturday’s mobilisation followed a huge security operation, with up to 70,000 officers deployed nationwide, museums closed and shops boarded up after last weekend’s looting and arson. Protest organisers have already called further action, with 355 actions listed for Saturday, October 31, and trade unions preparing a broader day of action on November 5 (The Connexion).

Sources

• Associated Press, via Deccan Herald: https://www.deccanherald.com/world/europe/mass-protests-unfold-in-paris-as-french-police-use-tear-gas-and-water-cannons-4194159
• Associated Press, via Lokmat Times: https://www.lokmattimes.com/international/over-100000-protest-in-paris-against-rising-costs-police-use-tear-gas-water-cannons-a001-w03/
• The Connexion: https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/october-24-protest-turnout-falls-by-almost-half-as-france-appears-calm/823815