Protests in France have seen new developments, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets in several cities. The main march in Paris drew 110,000 participants according to police and ended without incident, although it was held under rain. Some demonstrators chanted “We are not happy” as they left. Meanwhile, clashes were reported during demonstrations in other cities such as Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes and Toulouse. Paris police said more than 3,000 people were stopped and checked, while 65 were arrested during the demonstration in the French capital.
A march in Marseille gathered 17,000 participants according to police and 100,000 according to unions, also ending without incident. Marc Pietrosino, regional general secretary of the CGT, stressed that “We are being reasonable; we understood that we had to stay away from shops. But the important thing is being able to demonstrate.” In several cities, including Lyon, Lille, Montpellier, Nantes and Toulouse, French police used tear gas to prevent protesters from reaching city centres, AFP journalists witnessed. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had previously warned that authorities “will not tolerate any violence or disruption of public order.”
Nunez also said that French police had arrested 135 people across the country and had seized a number of weapons, adding that so far “there has been no major incident”. The confiscated weapons included metal balls, bullet cartridges, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft guns. Hundreds of demonstrators were seen gathering at Porte d’Italie in Paris, where authorities had designated the start of the only authorised march.
Union representative Murielle Guilbert told reporters it was “scandalous” that President Emmanuel Macron had banned protesters from demonstrating “where we want to demonstrate”. At the last minute, Paris police ordered the union-organised march moved from Bastille, in the centre, to the more distant Porte d’Italie, on the southeastern edge. The unions said they had reluctantly agreed, but the “Yellow Vests” – a loosely organised group that staged disruptive street protests against President Macron eight years ago – made clear they would not comply.
The “Yellow Vests” also announced that they would organise another round of protests on 31 October. Organisers called for gatherings and a sit-in protest outside parliament and town halls across the country, condemning the “authoritarian slide” of Macron’s government and urging citizens to defend “public freedoms”. Meanwhile, thousands of people chanting anti-fascist slogans marched in the city of Orléans against a congress of the far-right party led by Marine Le Pen, “Rassemblement National” (RN), AFP journalists observed. The protest criticised both leading presidential candidate Le Pen and centrist Macron, with the crowd chanting “Macron resign. Le Pen to prison.”
Taken from France 24 Live News