Confrontation between protesters and police has been recorded Saturday in Paris, Marseilles and other cities of France, following massive protests against rising cost of living and worsening public services.
Tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets in the third wave of protests in the country. According to the French Interior Ministry, about 320 thousand people attended the demonstrations, less than 410 thousand were estimated to be the number of protesters last weekend. In Paris alone, some 70 thousand people marched.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that some 150 demonstrations organised throughout the country had first been through peacefully, but that serious acts of violence had been recorded at the end, reports The Guardian.
In Paris, a riot police member was hit by a Molotov cocktail. Nuñez named the incident a murder attempt.
During the evening, police used tear gas and stun grenades in several cities to disperse crowds, where groups of masked people had joined peaceful protesters.
The Interior Ministry announced that 565 people across the country had been arrested by late Saturday. In Paris, four policemen and one member of the gendarmerie were injured.
In the capital, the protest began peacefully from the Porte de Bagnolet area, while at the end of the march near Porte de Charenton, dozens of masked and black – dressed people attacked police with stones and other means. Some of them used hammers to cut off sidewalk stones, which were then thrown toward the forces of order. It is also reported on the launch of at least one lighter.
The fight was also recorded in Lyons, where protesters threw strong vehicles toward the police, which responded with tear gas. Meanwhile, in Toulouse, police used water cannons to disperse an unauthorized protest, where several thousand attended.
Students, unions, and members of the Yellow Yeleks movement participated in the protests. They oppose increasing the cost of living, deepening inequality and policies of Emmanuel Macroni Government.
Protesters also called for improving school conditions and more opportunities for citizens to have influence on decision-making.
Saturday’s protests come two weeks after widespread riots and looting in several French cities during the first wave of protests on October 17th, which turned into one of the worst days of civil unrest in France’s recent history.
Meanwhile, student organisations have warned new blockades in high school and universities Tuesday and Thursday. Students have announced that they will then join the November 5th protest, called by workers and trade unions.
Protests were held in other European countries. In Germany, police used water cannons to disperse protesters, who threw fireworks and other tools into order forces, following demonstrations organised by young people under the slogan Guen Z regelt!
Source Layer: Dukeagini