320,000 Protesters March in France
A third weekend of demonstrations saw police deploy 70,000 officers as youth-led rallies spread to Germany and Italy.
By Megan Ivanov ·
320,000 people took to the streets of France on Saturday, marking the third consecutive weekend of nationwide protests against living costs and education policies. The turnout was lower than the 500,000 participants estimated for the October 17 demonstrations and the 410,000 recorded on October 24, but government figures still indicated a large presence.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a “very high risk” of disorder, particularly after dark on Halloween. To manage the crowds, authorities deployed approximately 70,000 police and gendarmes across the country. In Paris, organizers rerouted marches to the city’s edge to keep demonstrators away from government buildings and tourist sites.
At Porte de Bagnolet on the eastern edge of the capital, thousands gathered behind students who led the march hand in hand. Security agents from the CGT labor union monitored the front of the gathering while police massed on side streets. The march proceeded along the Boulevards des Maréchaux with techno music playing and some participants trick-or-treating until clashes broke out near Porte de Charenton.
Protesters hurled glass bottles and fireworks at officers, who responded with stun grenades and tear gas. Smoke filled the air as dusk fell, causing many peaceful marchers to retreat toward the Bois de Vincennes park. Authorities reported about 300 arrests nationwide, a decrease from the 800 arrests recorded at the same point during the previous week’s protests.
The movement began last month with high school students protesting neglected buildings, teacher shortages, and university admissions systems. President Emmanuel Macron stated that the marches would stay out of city centers to protect shops. Police barred entry to Place de la Republique and Les Halles from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, while a separate 9 p.m. curfew applied to unaccompanied minors near the Champs-Elysees.
Similar youth-led demonstrations occurred in Germany, Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands. In Germany, the initiative “Gen Z regelt” rallied in more than 30 cities for education, health, and climate protection. Berlin student Lara Breitenbach said the group demanded more investment in social services because they would live with the consequences the longest. In Cologne, police ended a march early after protesters used pyrotechnics and threw stones.
In Lisbon, thousands protested Portugal’s housing crisis with placards reading “Houses or Fire.” In The Hague, a strong police presence monitored the downtown shopping area, though no major disturbances occurred by midafternoon. Many stores in the Dutch city were boarded up as a precaution.
Source: The Aegis
