France Protests End With Nearly 1,000 Arrested as 410,000 March Nationwide

France protests 1000 arrests marked the end of a second consecutive Saturday of nationwide demonstrations, as police detained nearly 1,000 people by Saturday evening and the Interior Ministry put total turnout at 410,000 people across the country.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the arrest figure on Saturday night and said it was expected to rise considerably as legal procedures advanced. The demonstrations, held over the rising cost of living and school funding, drew 110,000 people in Paris according to police estimates, while unions claimed 800,000 nationwide and 250,000 in the capital.

FAKTA

• Arrested: nearly 1,000 people nationwide by Saturday evening, a figure expected to rise
• Turnout: 410,000 according to the Interior Ministry, 800,000 according to unions
• Paris turnout: 110,000 according to police, 250,000 according to unions
• Security operation: about 70,000 police and gendarmes deployed nationwide
• Paris arrests: 64 people arrested in connection with the Paris demonstration, 40 placed in police custody, including six minors
• Seriously injured: two people, in Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand
• Previous Saturday: 2,700 people arrested and 997 police officers injured on October 17

France Protests 1000 Arrests: What the Final Figures Show

The arrest total rose sharply through the evening. The Interior Ministry had put the figure at 135 by early afternoon, but as the marches ended and clashes broke out, detentions climbed towards 1,000. In Paris alone, officers carried out more than 3,000 checks and arrested 65 people, according to police figures reported by the BBC.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said 64 people had been arrested in connection with Saturday’s demonstration in the capital and 40 placed in police custody, including six minors. Most arrests concerned suspected weapons offences or participation in a group preparing violence or property damage, the office said.

Clashes at the Paris March Endpoint

The Paris march began peacefully after authorities rerouted it late on Friday from the Place de la Bastille to a route from Porte d’Italie towards Porte de Vincennes in the south-east of the city. Near its endpoint at Porte de Vincennes, some protesters threw projectiles while police fired volleys of tear gas and used water cannons to disperse crowds.

Nuñez said security forces were confronted with an extremely high level of violence, describing constant barrages of projectiles and fireworks fired at officers. In Paris, he said, about 500 rioters were determined to attack security forces or loot stores, and some people attempted to force their way into a car dealership.

Before the marches began, police searched hundreds of people and confiscated weapons including metal balls, fireworks, slingshots, a katana sword and airsoft guns. The Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Paris Opera were closed for the day, many shops were boarded up, and more than 20 metro stations suspended service.

Unrest Beyond the Capital

Skirmishes also broke out in Lyon, Lille, Nice, Rennes, Dijon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Toulouse, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble and Strasbourg, with police deploying tear gas to disperse crowds. Water cannons were used in Nice and Nantes.

In Marseille, a jewellery shop and a Carrefour supermarket were damaged or looted, though the destruction was far more limited than last weekend. Two people suffered serious injuries in Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand, according to officials.

How Saturday Compared With Last Weekend

Authorities deployed about 70,000 police and gendarmes nationwide to prevent a repeat of last Saturday’s rioting, when 3,000 shops were looted, 997 police officers were injured and 2,700 people were arrested. Nuñez accepted that the nationwide marches had passed off well earlier in the afternoon, and officials said the violence on October 24 was more limited than the October 17 disturbances.

The protests began over staff shortages at a high school and have grown into a nationwide movement of students and workers demanding better schools and higher wages as living costs rise. Related coverage of protests across Europe can be found on Watan News Europe.