More Than 400,000 Protest Across France, Clashes in Paris and Marseille, Around 1,000 Detained

Protests against the rising cost of living and social inequality have spread further across France. At least 410,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country on Saturday, according to the interior ministry. Labour organisations, however, claim the real number of protesters was double the official count.

Reuters reported that while the protests remained peaceful in most places, clashes broke out in the capital Paris and the second-largest city Marseille as night fell. Despite extensive security measures taken to prevent a repeat of last week's unrest, the situation turned heated.

The main gathering in Paris was at the south-eastern edge of the city, where at least 110,000 people took part. They chanted slogans against the rising cost of living and growing inequality in society. The scale of the protests and the clashes in several cities have underlined the spread of ongoing discontent in France.

After the rally ended, the situation deteriorated quickly. On a cold, rain-soaked evening, riot police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse a group of about 500 masked youths. The youths eventually scattered.

In Marseille, France's second-largest city, youths set fire to rubbish bins to block roads. Stones and bottles were hurled at security forces. Police said several shops in the city were vandalised and looted, including two jewellery shops among the damaged premises.

It was not only Paris and Marseille — clashes were also reported in Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Rennes, Nantes and Toulouse. Law and order therefore came under pressure beyond the capital as well. According to the interior minister, around 1,000 protesters were arrested during this period.

France's interior minister Laurent Nunez said such high-risk groups had been present in almost every march. They separated from the main march and tried to carry out violent acts, he said, blaming far-left activists and criminal gangs for trying to spread unrest.

The protests also affected business in the capital. Oscar, manager of the Kiton luxury clothing store in Paris, said there were almost no customers in the shop, so keeping it open no longer seemed particularly profitable.

Considering security, several well-known cultural institutions in Paris were kept closed for Saturday. They included the Louvre Museum, the Musée d'Orsay and the Paris Opera. Tourists visiting the city were also put in difficulty as a result.

Xavier Doliole, a tourist from New Orleans in the United States, said everything had been shut down and they did not really know where to go. His experience reflects how much normal life in Paris was disrupted on the day of the protests.

Extensive security measures helped avoid violence on the scale of last week, but clashes between protesters and police in several cities could not be prevented. The turnout of more than 400,000 people on Saturday sent a renewed message that discontent over the cost of living and inequality is not subsiding easily.

Attention will now be on what steps the government takes in response to this discontent and whether labour organisations announce their next programme. For now, tension prevails across France and security measures in the cities have been kept strengthened.