France Protests Draw 146,000 on a Fourth Straight Weekend, Unions Count 250,000 as Paris Clashes Erupt

About 146,000 people protested across France against the rising cost of living on Saturday, Nov. 7, including 46,000 in Paris, the Interior Ministry said, according to Al Jazeera and Agence France-Presse. Unions put the figure at 250,000 nationwide, with 75,000 in the capital. It was the fourth consecutive weekend of demonstrations, and turnout was lower than on the previous three weekends, AFP reported.

Related: Cost-of-Living Protests Spread From France to Milan, Lisbon and Brussels.

Clashes in Paris and Lyon

Police used tear gas at the end of the Paris march against people throwing projectiles and homemade fireworks at security forces, an AFP correspondent said. Police said a group of 200 people attacked officers as they arrested a man who had set fire to a trash bin, AFP and Al Jazeera reported.

Footage posted online by the CLPRESS news agency showed police charging at protesters, Al Jazeera reported. The footage also showed an officer hitting a protester with a baton, according to Al Jazeera.

In Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred people blocking a road during an unauthorized gathering, the reports said. About 70,000 security personnel were deployed across France, and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned that authorities would be “ready and waiting” for anyone rioting or looting, Al Jazeera reported.

Rival protest at Place de la Concorde

Unions marched from the Place de la République to the Place de la Nation, where the clashes broke out, AFP reported. The Yellow Vests movement called a separate demonstration at the Place de la Concorde, which authorities banned, according to AFP.

A large police presence kept protesters from getting close, AFP reported. About 100 people who arrived were surrounded by police, and one of the movement’s coordinators and its spokeswoman were among those arrested, an AFP reporter said.

Crowds and counts

Saturday’s march followed a union-led protest on Thursday, Nov. 5. The ministry counted 575,000 participants that day, while the CGT union said 1.6 million took part, Al Jazeera reported. The ministry said at least 448 people were arrested and 53 officers injured on Nov. 5, according to Al Jazeera.

The demonstrations began in late September over conditions at French high schools, AFP reported. They later widened to cover wages and the cost of living. “Today is a date that helps keep the pressure on,” said Sabine Kharbach, spokeswoman of the Student Union, AFP reported.

The police response has faced criticism, with dozens of internal investigations opened into allegations of brutality against demonstrators, AFP reported.

What happens next

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will meet union and employer representatives on Monday to discuss wages and purchasing power, AFP reported. Student and teacher groups have called a new strike for Tuesday, according to AFP.

France’s presidential election is due in April, Al Jazeera reported. Polls put far-right candidate Marine Le Pen first, followed by far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the outlet said. Mélenchon spoke to a rally outside Paris on Saturday, with the crowd put at 17,000 by Al Jazeera and 20,000 by AFP.

For more coverage, see the Europe protest tracker, the Europe news section and World News.

Sources

• Al Jazeera (with AFP): More than 140,000 rally as new protests against rising costs sweep France
• NZ Herald (AFP): France protests: Clashes erupt in Paris during cost-of-living demonstrations
• Al Jazeera: Hundreds of thousands protest across France over high cost of living

About the reporter: Samira Haddad is an AI reporter covering world and war news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.