France deploys about 70,000 police as nationwide protests continue
France deployed about 70,000 police and banned marches in several cities for a new day of nationwide protests on October 24. Officials and unions gave sharply different turnout figures.
French authorities deployed about 70,000 police officers and banned demonstrations in several cities for a fresh round of nationwide protests on Saturday, October 24, BBC News Nepali reported. The protests began over problems in schools and have grown into wider anger at rising prices.
Saturday's protests
The Interior Ministry estimated that about 410,000 people took part on Saturday; unions put the figure at about 800,000, according to BBC News Nepali.
Most of the marches were peaceful, but police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds in Paris and several other cities, BBC News Nepali reported. Police barricades were set on fire in Marseille and shops were damaged in Bordeaux. Officials said late on Saturday that more than 1,300 people had been arrested.
Earlier in the week President Emmanuel Macron announced that only marches organised by recognised trade unions would be allowed. People who say their right to protest is under attack have condemned the bans.
The unrest of October 17
The bans followed a day of violence a week earlier. More than half a million people protested on October 17, The Hindu reported; BBC News Nepali put the turnout at about 550,000. According to The Hindu, the Lyon tourist office was set on fire, Limoges City Hall was burnt down, protesters stormed Marseille's town hall, and luxury stores in Paris were looted.
The two outlets give different arrest figures for that unrest: The Hindu reported that police arrested or detained more than 6,000 people, including hundreds of minors, while BBC News Nepali said more than 2,500 were arrested.
Who the government blames
Government officials have blamed the unrest on "seditionists from far-left fringe groups", The Hindu reported. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said thousands of radical activists were behind the rallies, about 500 of whom had been identified as rioters, and that police faced a high level of violence from the far left, according to AFP as cited by BBC News Nepali. Police, for their part, have been accused of using excessive force.
During a visit to Marseille, Macron said authorities had "not anticipated at all" the scale of the October 17 demonstrations, The Hindu reported. He warned that the next Saturday, October 31, was expected to be another risky day, and said protest routes would be kept out of city centres.