Protests against high prices across France... Large-scale deployment of police and sporadic clashes (comprehensive)

On the 24th (local time), student and labor union demonstrations were held throughout France to protest the lack of investment in the public sector and high prices.

The protest on Saturday was held with the authorities imposing a restriction order on protests and deploying 70,000 police officers, helicopters, and armored vehicles to prevent recurrence of violence, and the scale was reduced compared to the previous 17th.

There were sporadic clashes between police and protesters in some areas, including the capital Paris, but the atmosphere was more relaxed than the protests on the 17th, when 500,000 people participated and violence broke out, AFP, AP, and Reuters reported.

Previously, President Emmanuel Macron announced a policy of banning all demonstrations other than authorized union demonstrations, and several regional authorities issued full or partial bans on demonstrations.

The Ministry of the Interior announced that 35,000 people took to the streets as of 1 p.m. that day. This is a significant decrease from the 60,000 people at the same time on the 17th.

Paris police said that after the march ended in the afternoon, a total of 110,000 people participated and that it was largely peaceful. The union estimated that 250,000 people participated in Paris and 800,000 people nationwide.

Police arrested 135 people in connection with the protests this morning alone and confiscated many banned items, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said. The confiscated items included metal beads, lead bullets, firecrackers, slingshots, weapons, BB guns, gas masks, cutting tools, and clubs.

In the capital Paris, the union march was initially allowed east from the Place de la Bastille, but Paris police at the last minute ordered it to move to Porte d'Italie, in the southeast, far from the city center.

Police warned through loudspeakers in Place de la Bastille that they would be fined 135 euros if they did not leave the square.

Protesters marched with slogans such as “If we ride, you ride with us” and “The Earth is burning, and so is our future.”

Subway stations throughout downtown Paris were closed. Major museums and art galleries, including the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, were closed for the day, and the international art fair Art Basel Paris closed early the day before.

Stores ranging from luxury brands to grocery stores braced for vandalism and looting by blocking windows with wooden boards and removing merchandise from shelves, and some even mobilized private security.

The Yellow Vest Movement has announced additional protests on the 31st, next Saturday. “We will protest for the freedom to protest, for the freedom of all of us,” an official from the group told reporters at the Place de la Bastille.

In Lyon, where protests were completely banned, about 150 people gathered in front of the university and police station and attempted to block the roads. In response, the police threw tear gas to disperse the crowd.

One 21-year-old student told AFP: "The police are really mobile. They come to disperse the protesters before they form."

Police helicopters patrolled overhead, and armored vehicles and riot police vehicles lined the streets.

Protests continued in Nantes to protest against high prices and to demand protection of public services and financial and social justice. Police fired water cannons at protesters attempting to cross the Loire River bridge, and some protesters responded by shooting small objects at police.

In Marseille, police calculated that 17,000 people participated in the protest. However, the organizer, the Confederation of Labor (CGT), claimed that 100,000 people participated.

Police also demanded dispersal in Lille, Toulouse, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, and Nice, but used tear gas or water cannons when protesters did not respond.

In Toulouse, where police estimated 26,500 people protested, one protester was seen kicking a tear gas canister. Ella (17), a high school student, said, “These days, I’m afraid of what might happen if I participate in protests,” adding, “But we can’t give up.”

In Bordeaux, a march with thousands of people took place amid heavy rain.

An anti-far-right rally was held in Orleans, where the convention of the far-right National Rally (RN), led by presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen, will be held for two days until the 25th.

Protesters chanted slogans opposing not only Le Pen but also President Emmanuel Macron, saying “Macron resigns, Le Pen goes to jail.” The banners they held read, “Young people tell the National Alliance to ‘fuck off’” and “Hotter than the fascists.”

Police calculated that 11,000 people participated in the anti-far-right protest, and organizers said the number was 26,000.