Frustration characterizes new protests in Paris

The recurring Saturday protests in France over the past five weeks have diminished in scale. The police presence is still large as authorities feared that the protests could degenerate.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that around 70,000 police were on duty during Saturday's protests.

At 5 p.m., the Ministry of the Interior calculated how many people had participated in the demonstrations. Across France, 106,000 protesters took part, including 24,000 in Paris. It is the lowest figure during the last wave of protests.

No reports of violence

Organizers of the protests say 200,000 people took part, including 100,000 in Paris.

Widely different questions and demands were put forward during the protests.

- The government has only given us breadcrumbs. We want the whole bakery, said one of the protesters, Benjamin Ball, who belongs to the Yellow Vest movement.

The cellist Adrien, who plays in a volunteer orchestra, is in turn critical of a bill concerning the police's right to use weapons in emergency situations:

- We are afraid when we demonstrate. If (the police's) impunity is strengthened, we will be even more afraid.

No violence had been reported on Saturday afternoon.