Police clash with masked rioters as France's protests turn violent
Tens of thousands marched across France in a third wave of protests over the cost of living and public services, but clashes broke out in Paris, Marseille and other cities after the rallies.
Clashes have broken out in Paris, Marseille and other French cities after tens of thousands of demonstrators marched across the country in a third wave of protests over the cost of living and deteriorating public services. Police responded to masked rioters with tear gas as the largely peaceful rallies gave way to disorder in the evening.
About 320,000 people took part in rallies nationwide, according to the interior ministry. That figure is down from an estimated 410,000 at the previous weekend's demonstrations. Around 70,000 of the marchers were in Paris, where they moved along boulevards on the south-eastern outskirts of the city and avoided the centre. Some participants wore Halloween fancy dress, and the timing of the rallies coincided with the holiday.
Authorities had prepared for further unrest. Around 70,000 police were expected to be deployed nationwide as France braced for more disturbances. Reports from the day described officers firing tear gas to disperse crowds in Paris as evening fell, while masked individuals were involved in the confrontations. Coverage of the violence also described protesters smashing apart an effigy of President Emmanuel Macron and hurling firebombs at police, though these accounts were drawn from a single tabloid report and were not confirmed by the other sources.
The protests were not limited to France. Demonstrations were also held in Germany, where police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported around 6,000 protesters in total. Officers in Germany also used tear gas to disperse crowds as evening fell. Albania was also named as a country where demonstrations took place. Some of the German rallies were linked to a youth-led movement, with commentary describing the wave as reaching Germany after earlier demonstrations in France and Spain.
The mobilisation reflects sustained public anger over living costs and the state of public services in France, with each successive weekend of protest drawing large crowds. The combination of mass peaceful marches and a violent fringe has put renewed pressure on the police and the government to manage the demonstrations without further escalation. The rallies that passed off without incident were overshadowed by the clashes that followed them, which have become the focus of the day's coverage.
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