400,000 take to French streets despite protest ban, nearly 1,000 arrested

Students and union members took to the streets across France in a wave of protests involving some 410,000 people, defying a government ban on unauthorized demonstrations. The rallies — held in Paris, Lille, Toulouse, Nice and other cities — marked the second major mobilization in a week, following a similar protest Monday, and were driven by anger over insufficient public investment and soaring prices.

France's Interior Ministry put the nationwide turnout at 410,000, including 110,000 in Paris, Yonhap and other international news agencies reported Saturday (local time). The General Confederation of Labour, which organized the protests, claimed a far higher figure of 800,000 participants, including 250,000 in the capital.

Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers along with helicopters and armored vehicles to prevent a repeat of earlier violence, but the measures failed to keep demonstrators off the streets.

President Emmanuel Macron had earlier announced a ban on all protests except those authorized by recognized unions.

Despite the heavy security presence, the turnout was lower than the 550,000 estimated by police at the Monday demonstration. Clashes between police and protesters were also significantly fewer than in the previous rally.

Sporadic confrontations still broke out in Paris and some other areas, however, and the atmosphere grew more tense as the afternoon wore on, with tear gas and water cannons deployed at several locations. AFP, Reuters and the Associated Press reported that bicycles and scooters were set ablaze in the streets.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told BFM TV that nearly 1,000 people had been arrested in connection with the day's protests and that the number was expected to rise. Nunez again criticized what he called "far-left extremists wearing black masks" for escalating the violence.

Police had begun making arrests from the morning, detaining 135 people on protest-related charges and seizing a large quantity of prohibited items. The confiscated materials included metal ball bearings, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, bladed weapons, BB guns, gas masks, cutting tools and batons.

Nunez said one person was seriously injured in Toulouse and another in Clermont-Ferrand, though he did not elaborate on the circumstances. Local media reported that the Toulouse victim had a finger severed.

The Yellow Vest movement announced a follow-up protest for Oct. 31. A representative of the group told reporters at Place de la Bastille, "We will demonstrate for the freedom to protest — for the freedom of all of us."

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the presidential candidate of the hard-left La France Insoumise party, joined the Paris march and said Macron "will find out that these protests will repeat every week."