French authorities reported clashes, arrests and tear gas deployments during a fourth consecutive weekend of demonstrations over wages, living costs and education, with more protests and strikes planned.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
PARIS — Thousands of demonstrators returned to the streets of France on Saturday, Nov. 7, defying police restrictions in Paris as authorities deployed 70,000 security personnel nationwide to contain renewed unrest over rising living costs, wages and public education.
The demonstrations marked the fourth consecutive weekend of mass protests, with France’s Interior Ministry reporting 146,000 participants nationwide, including 46,000 in Paris. Labor unions estimated significantly higher attendance, placing the national figure at 250,000 and the Paris turnout at 75,000, according to Agence France-Presse.
The protests continued despite the Paris Police Prefecture’s rejection of numerous formal requests to organize gatherings in parts of the capital. Officials cited widespread rioting in October that resulted in thousands of arrests, injuries among police officers and demonstrators, and extensive property damage.
According to Fox News Digital’s coverage of the demonstrations, police justified the restrictions by warning that certain participants had previously targeted government institutions and public buildings.
“These events demonstrated the intention of certain individuals to target the institutions of the Republic, specifically through actions directed against public buildings and State services in order to undermine the foundations of the Republic,” authorities stated in a police order translated by Fox News Digital.
“That these elements characterize a particular and serious risk to public institutions, agent safety, and the normal functioning of public services during such demonstrations,” the order continued.
Police specifically prohibited a Yellow Vest demonstration planned for Place de la Concorde, near the National Assembly. Despite the restrictions, members of the movement gathered in the area, resulting in arrests.
Benjamin Ball, a Yellow Vest coordination group member, and spokesperson Azelma Sigaux were arrested Saturday afternoon near the National Assembly, according to AFP.
Elsewhere in Paris, confrontations developed between police and groups of demonstrators. Officers deployed tear gas after individuals threw projectiles and homemade fireworks at security forces, while additional confrontations occurred around Place de la Nation.
Photographs and videos showed burning street debris, police advancing through clouds of tear gas and demonstrators fleeing clashes. Authorities also reported incidents involving projectiles thrown at officers.
In Lyon, police used tear gas to disperse several hundred demonstrators participating in an unauthorized gathering that blocked a roadway.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned that authorities expected renewed violence despite the presence of substantial security forces.
“The risk is exactly the same as on previous Saturdays,” Nuñez said, instructing law enforcement personnel “not to lower their guard,” according to AFP.
The nationwide mobilization follows weeks of escalating protests that began in September with student demonstrations over deteriorating school facilities, inadequate staffing and education funding.
The movement subsequently expanded to include labor unions, retirees and Yellow Vest activists demanding higher wages, increased purchasing power and government action to address living expenses.
The Yellow Vest movement, which originally emerged in 2018 in opposition to fuel taxes and economic pressures, has joined the demonstrations alongside student and teacher organizations.
Saturday’s gatherings followed a major nationwide protest Thursday, Nov. 5, that drew approximately 575,000 participants according to government figures, while unions estimated attendance at approximately 1.6 million.
That earlier mobilization disrupted transportation, schools and public services across France, with demonstrators calling for wage increases, improved pensions and additional government investment in education and health care.
According to Associated Press reporting on the Nov. 5 demonstrations, authorities arrested at least 448 people as sporadic violence occurred in several cities despite largely peaceful marches.
The October disturbances that prompted the latest police restrictions were substantially more violent.
An official Paris police document reported that unrest Oct. 17 resulted in 855 arrests in the capital, 297 injuries among security personnel and 111 injuries involving residents and demonstrators.
Violence continued Oct. 18, resulting in another 351 arrests and damage to 36 businesses, including 33 that authorities said were looted.
Police also cited incidents during subsequent October protests, including attacks involving incendiary devices. Paris prosecutors opened an investigation into attempted homicide against public officials following attacks on officers during an Oct. 31 demonstration.
The security measures have generated debate over the government’s authority to restrict demonstrations. French law protects the right to peaceful assembly while permitting police to prohibit specific gatherings when authorities determine they present serious public safety risks.
On Oct. 22, an administrative court overturned a police prohibition on a Paris protest, allowing demonstrators to gather under heightened security arrangements. Similar restrictions in other French cities have prompted questions about balancing public safety with constitutional protections.
Saturday’s turnout was lower than that of previous weekends, but organizers indicated that demonstrations would continue.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is scheduled to meet labor union leaders Monday, Nov. 9, to discuss wages and purchasing power.
Union representatives have also called for additional strikes Tuesday, Nov. 10, seeking further concessions from the government.
The unrest comes as France approaches its 2027 presidential election amid continuing disputes over economic policy, public spending and labor conditions. President Emmanuel Macron is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term.
With negotiations scheduled and additional labor actions planned, the government faces continued pressure to address demonstrators’ economic demands while preventing a recurrence of the violence that affected Paris and other cities throughout October.
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