Paris [France], October 24 (ANI): Hundreds of demonstrations took place across France as public anger mounted over the rising cost of living and a lack of educational funding, leading to clashes with security forces attempting to prevent a repeat of recent violence.
According to the official tallies released by French law enforcement placed the national turnout lower at 410,000 participants.
While initial gatherings were relatively peaceful, severe clashes broke out late Saturday evening in Paris. Riot police deployed tear gas and water cannons against crowds to restore order as security forces massed across the country to prevent a repeat of recent violence, Euronews reported.
Violence and confrontations with police spread to several major regional hubs, including Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Toulouse.
In Lyon, riot police filled the streets and fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of approximately 150 demonstrators who attempted to block a central road in an area under active protest bans, Euronews reported.
Detailing the turnout in key regional centres, France 24 reported that nearly 10,000 people marched through Lyon despite lacking pre-authorisation and facing an expanded ban on gatherings in the city centre, according to estimates from the Rhône prefectural authorities.
Prefectural officials noted that demonstrators gathered in various groups across the city, moving “in a very erratic manner, without any clearly defined objective” throughout the afternoon.
In the southwestern city of Toulouse, local authorities estimated that 26,000 people joined Saturday’s demonstrations, France 24 reported.
Earlier in the day, French police arrested 135 people across the country and seized a wide array of weapons during nationwide demonstrations, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said as the far-right National Rally party launched its party convention in Orléans, south of Paris, which attracted both supporters and counterprotesters.
France24 reported that Minister Nunez, speaking on the security situation, stated that “there has been no major incident” so far, while Paris police described the capital’s midday atmosphere as “calm.”
Authorities confirmed that confiscated items included metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, airsoft guns, and a Japanese katana sword.
The security crackdown comes as thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Orléans to protest a two-day convention held by Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party (Rassemblement National). The city became the central focus of Saturday’s mobilisations, with local prefecture officials reporting 11,000 protesters gathered by noon, according to France24.
Marchers in Orléans targeted both Marine Le Pen and President Emmanuel Macron, chanting slogans and carrying banners opposing the far right during what serves as a key campaign event for Le Pen six months ahead of France’s presidential election.
The demonstration brought together a broad coalition including left-wing party leaders, trade unions, student groups, activists, and non-governmental organisations such as Amnesty International, according to France24.
Jordan Bardella was re-elected on Saturday as president of the National Rally (Rassemblement National) during the congress in Orléans.
The gathering kicked off shortly before 3 PM at the Zénith arena in the Loiret prefecture, where thousands of party delegates and activists gathered to show their support, chanting “Marine for President,” France 24 reported.
Several peaceful protests are underway across France, as thousands of demonstrators march in the cities of Marseille, Lyon and Lille, with reports of clashes between police and protestors in the city of Lyon.
The rallies mark a continuation of protests triggered over a month ago by students protesting high school conditions, teacher shortages, school day schedules, and educational inequality between public and private systems, France24 reported.
The student-led movement has since expanded into a wider national mobilisation incorporating trade unions, civil society groups, and the “Yellow Vests” movement, following violent street clashes seen during cost-of-living demonstrations a week earlier.
President Emmanuel Macron convened a meeting of his defence council, comprising senior ministers and officials, amid the escalating crisis. (ANI)
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