Protesters Clash With Police
French police deployed tear gas and batons against demonstrators in Paris and other areas on Saturday as cost-of-living protests entered a fourth consecutive weekend, CNBC reported.
At least 360 people were arrested nationwide during the demonstrations, which drew students, trade unions, and the revived Yellow Vest movement, according to an Agence France-Presse tally cited by CNBC. The Interior Ministry counted 146,000 demonstrators nationwide, including 46,000 in Paris. A youth union alliance put the figures higher at 250,000 nationally and 75,000 in the capital, CNBC reported.
Fourth Consecutive Weekend of Rallies
The protests began in late September when high school students started demanding better conditions in schools before university students and unions joined the movement. France 24 noted that the demonstrations mark the fourth weekend of anger against the rising cost of living as the country heads toward presidential elections in five months.
Turnout on Saturday fell below the 575,000 people counted by the Interior Ministry during union-led demonstrations on Nov. 5, CNBC reported. Yahoo News Canada added that authorities had deployed 70,000 police and gendarmes to prevent a repeat of the violence seen during earlier rallies.
As the main Paris march ended at Place de la Nation, police used tear gas against individuals throwing projectiles, while a trash bin was set alight, CNBC reported. France 24 detailed that a group of 200 violent individuals attacked officers during the arrest of a man who had set fire to a trash bin in the square.
In Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred people blocking a road during an unauthorized gathering, according to Yahoo News Canada. Al Jazeera reported that in the northern city of Lille, a teenager lost a hand when a grenade exploded as school protesters clashed with police.
Banned Yellow Vest Gatherings
Police blocked a separate, banned Yellow Vest gathering at Place de la Concorde in central Paris, Le Monde reported via CNBC. France 24 noted that the location is a short distance from the Élysée Palace and parliament. The Yellow Vests are a movement whose protests shook President Emmanuel Macron in the early years of his presidency, CNBC reported.
Government Seeks Labor Talks Amid Budget Delays
The latest unrest follows the rejection by French lawmakers of the revenue section of the 2027 budget as the government tries to balance public anger with financial management, CNBC reported.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is scheduled to meet labor and employer representatives on Monday to discuss wages and purchasing power, according to CNBC. Meanwhile, the government’s original budget proposal heads to the Senate, which is scheduled to begin debating it on Nov. 20, CNBC reported.
Unions have criticized their exclusion from certain meetings, with SNES-FSU secretary-general Sophie Vénétitay telling French broadcaster RMC that public-sector salaries were seemingly not treated as a priority.
Protests Spark over Education and Living Costs
Why did the protests start in France?
The demonstrations began in late September with high-school students demanding better conditions in the French education system before broadening into wider protests over public services and the cost of living, according to CNBC and Al Jazeera.
How many security personnel were deployed for the weekend?
Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes across the country to prevent a repeat of earlier violence, France 24 reported.
What is the next step for the government budget?
Following the rejection of its revenue section by lawmakers, the government’s original proposal moves to the Senate, which is scheduled to begin debating it on Nov. 20, CNBC reported.
Keep reading