Protests sweep France again, nearly 1,000 arrested after night of clashes

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in another round of protests across France. Although demonstrations remained peaceful in most places, police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in several cities including Paris. After clashes in various places late on Saturday night (24 October), about 1,000 people were arrested, officials said.

According to France's interior ministry, an estimated 410,000 people took part in Saturday's protests. Trade unions, however, put the number of protesters at about 800,000 — almost double the official count.

To prevent a repeat of last week's disorder, about 70,000 police officers were deployed, and various restrictions were imposed in several cities. Thanks to the authorities' preparations, the scale of rioting and looting seen last week was avoided this time, reports said.

The violence at the end of last week had created one of the worst episodes of disorder in modern French history. Protesters then far outnumbered police, hundreds of businesses were looted and buildings were set on fire in various places.

French President Emmanuel Macron had directed at the start of this week that only protests organised by recognised trade unions would be authorised. Meanwhile, in recent days hundreds of people have been jailed through fast-track trials on charges of vandalism, arson and looting.

In Paris on Saturday, clashes began towards the end of a peaceful march from the Porte d'Italie area to Porte de Vincennes, between protesters and riot police. A special elite unit, normally used against organised crime and terrorism, also took part in the operation.

Some protesters were seen building temporary barricades and throwing objects at police officers. Elsewhere, when a group of masked youths smashed the windows of a car showroom, police baton-charged to disperse them.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said several thousand hardline activists had gathered at the rear of the march. About 500 of them were identified as rioters.

In the southern port city of Marseille, rubbish bins were set on fire and metal sheets were used to block roads. In the country's second-largest city, a law-enforcement vehicle was seen driving through a burning barricade.

In the southern city of Bordeaux, several protesters in black clothing and masks were seen pulling wooden planks from a building to build a barricade across a road. In Lyon, police used tear gas grenades to disperse a crowd that had gathered in an area declared off-limits by the local administration.

By contrast, in the north-central city of Orleans, about 13,000 people took part in a rally against the far-right National Rally party. That gathering ended peacefully.

France's presidential election is due in six months. Against that backdrop, candidates leading in the election race have blamed President Macron and his ministers amid the continuing protests. The unrest on the streets is therefore expected to weigh heavily on the politics of the coming election as well.