France fills the streets again: second weekend of protests over the cost of living

France saw a second consecutive weekend of nationwide protests on Saturday, as tens of thousands of demonstrators marched over the cost of living and the state of public services and education. The interior ministry deployed some 70,000 police officers and gendarmes — 10,000 more than on October 17 — backed by armoured vehicles, water cannon and drones, with Sentinelle soldiers guarding sensitive sites.

In Paris, the main march set off from Porte d'Italie after the prefecture changed the approved route at short notice. The authorised route runs from Porte d'Italie to Porte de Vincennes between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.; organisers had wanted to march toward the Bastille, and many protesters turned up at the old starting point before learning of the change. Peaceful marches were also under way in Marseille, Lyon, Lille and Orléans, where thousands gathered at an anti far-right rally.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said at least 135 people had been detained across France by early afternoon, all of them before 1 p.m. local time, and reported no major incidents so far. Paris police said they had seized a knife, an angle grinder and face masks. The day's turnout was estimated at about 35,000 nationwide by 1 p.m., down from 60,000 at the same point last Saturday.

The sharpest confrontations came outside the capital. Police used tear gas in at least three cities: in Lille, where officers charged dozens of masked protesters who fell back and then regrouped; in Marseille, where clashes broke out during the afternoon; and in Lyon, where tear gas was deployed for more than an hour around an undeclared gathering at Place Jean Macé. The regional prefect said groups had masked and hooded themselves, thrown projectiles including iron pellets at security forces, and begun erecting barricades. In Nice, police used loudspeakers to order demonstrators to evacuate the city centre — the city had deployed the largest police presence in its history.

More than 24 Paris metro stations were closed, and the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Paris Opera shut their doors for the day as shops along the routes boarded up their windows. Art Basel Paris cancelled its weekend programme. The movement, which grew out of high-school students' protests over school conditions and resources, now joins Yellow Vest groups, trade unions and students behind demands for education investment, youth jobs and relief from surging living costs.

The confrontation is set to continue. Yellow Vest groups announced more than 700 actions across the country, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise, speaking from the front of the Paris demonstration, said a general strike called by the CGT will take place on November 5 unless President Emmanuel Macron “gives in now.” This is a developing story; the desk will update this report as new facts are confirmed.