About 320,000 people demonstrated across France on Saturday in a third consecutive weekend of protests over rising living costs, poor public services and school conditions, with clashes reported in Paris and other cities.
The Interior Ministry’s estimate, cited by the New York Times, was lower than turnout in the previous two Saturdays. Deutsche Welle reported that more than 290 people were arrested. The BBC described the turnout as over 320,000, while other reports cited 320,000. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a “very high risk” of disorder, particularly after dark on Halloween, NPR reported.
About 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed nationwide, PBS reported, and marches in Paris were redirected toward the edge of the capital. Youth-led demonstrations were also reported in Germany and Italy.