PARIS: Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched across France on Saturday in largely peaceful protests over living costs and inequality, but clashes broke out in Paris, Marseille and other cities as night fell despite a massive security operation.
France’s Interior Ministry estimated 410,000 people took part nationwide, while unions put the turnout at nearly 800,000. The main rally, on Paris’ southeastern edge, drew at least 110,000 people, according to officials.
Violence After Rallies
The Paris demonstration remained peaceful for much of the day, but riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at a group of about 500 hooded youths after the march ended. The group eventually dispersed on a cold, rainy evening.
In Marseille, youths set fire to rubbish bins to block roads and threw rocks and bottles at security forces. Police said several stores, including two jewelry shops, were ransacked.
Clashes also were reported in Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Rennes, Nantes and Toulouse.
“In almost every march we saw the formation of these high-risk groups,” Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. “They broke away from the main body and sought to commit acts of violence.” He accused far-left activists and criminal gangs of trying to incite trouble.
Paris Under Lockdown
Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes — 10,000 more than a week earlier — after acknowledging they had underestimated the scale of unrest on Oct. 17. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested Saturday, according to Nunez.
Much of central Paris appeared to be under lockdown. Shopkeepers boarded up storefronts, museums closed and more than 20 Metro stations shut. Business groups had urged retailers to stay closed after thousands of shops and businesses were damaged or looted the previous weekend.
Several of the capital’s best-known cultural institutions, including the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Paris Opera, closed for the day.
“There are hardly any customers, so it’s not really worth staying open,” said Oskar, manager of a Kiton boutique in Paris.
Nunez said the violence was less intense than the previous weekend, when looters and vandals went on a rampage. “What changed was anticipation,” he said.
Unrest Spreads in Europe
The French protests began with small student demonstrations in suburban Paris last month over school conditions, then broadened into a wider challenge to the government’s economic policies. Similar demonstrations spread to neighboring countries.
In Brussels, Belgian police used tear gas and pepper spray during clashes with anti-government demonstrators. Protests also took place in several Italian cities for a second weekend and in Albania.
Italian authorities deployed heavy police presences and many shops closed as a precaution. Police said they detained a person allegedly linked to organizing the “October 17 Movement,” the protests that erupted across Italy last weekend.
In Lisbon, Portuguese police cleared a housing protest camp from Rossio Square early Sunday, charging demonstrators and making several arrests. Protesters were demanding the government scrap legislation that would make evictions easier and end rent caps on new leases. Portugal faces a severe housing affordability crisis, with the Bank of Portugal estimating a national shortfall of 300,000 homes.
Albania Protests Turn Violent
In Tirana, Albanian riot police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who threw rocks at officers and set fire to the door of the Agriculture Ministry.
The student-led demonstrations, fueled by anger over corruption, unemployment and education standards, have spread beyond the capital this month. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has governed since 2013.
“Albanians have woken up,” said Daniel Tahiri, a 28-year-old protester, describing the government as “a dictatorship with the clothes of democracy.”
Political Pressure on Macron
Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who joined the Paris rally, predicted the protests would continue until President Emmanuel Macron addressed France’s social problems. Macron’s term expires next year.
“Given the current situation, I think he will come to understand that this will happen again every week,” Melenchon said. “There is still time for him to give in. After that, the only thing left to him will be the exit door.”
Many demonstrators accused the government of overreacting to last week’s turmoil, noting that soldiers patrolled the Champs-Élysées, a boulevard lined with luxury shops and restaurants.
“We shed tears for shops, not for the people who are being impoverished all year round,” said Clara Lebbadi, a 22-year-old arts student.
Far-Right Congress Proceeds
In Orléans, about 75 miles south of Paris, the day’s first authorized march passed peacefully as demonstrators rallied against Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, which was holding a party congress in the city.
Tensions had been heightened by a shooting west of Paris on Friday in which a gunman suspected of acting out of anti-Muslim hatred killed one person and wounded four others, including a 12-year-old girl.
“We have come to tell the far right, face-to-face, that we are not afraid,” said Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of Saint-Denis and a member of Melenchon’s France Unbowed party.
