Protests against social inequality and inadequate funding for public services took place in several French cities on Saturday. In Marseille, clashes broke out between demonstrators and police, while thousands of people took to the streets in Paris. As reported by The New York Times, the situation became tense in several areas where rallies were held.
In Marseille, clashes began near Porte d’Aix, the point where an authorized march was supposed to end. Several young people, most wearing gas masks or ski masks, moved large metal plates into the street to create barricades.
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Demonstrators threw stones and bottles at police, while some set off fireworks at officers. Law enforcement responded with large amounts of tear gas and, at one point, advanced with shields and batons to push the crowd back.
The gas also spread into an alley near the protest site, causing demonstrators to retreat hurriedly toward the square.
In the capital, the location where the demonstration was to be held was changed at the last minute. Nevertheless, thousands of citizens gathered in the designated area in southeastern Paris.
The New York Times reported that the change of location angered some participants, who believed the decision was intended to reduce the protest’s visibility.
“It is a strategy to divide and discourage people,” said 35-year-old Vincent Charache. The municipal employee had traveled two hours by train from Nevers to protest against the widening gap between the rich and the poor.
Meylan Eponoh, a 19-year-old social work student, said demonstrators were also protesting the inadequate funding of schools in working-class areas.
“They want to make us invisible on the outskirts of Paris,” he said. Eponoh said he hoped the march would change direction and enter the city center.
In Orléans, unlike Marseille, the rally ended peacefully. Thousands of people who had taken to the streets in the morning gathered in an area where volunteers distributed food and drinks.
From a stage set up in the area, politicians, including the mayor of Trappes, Ali Rabeh, and high school students addressed the crowd in speeches that were met with cheers.
Laurent Nuñez, an official at the French Interior Ministry, announced that 135 people had been arrested by Saturday.
Most were detained during police checks on suspicion of carrying weapons or other prohibited items. Items seized included devices for launching fireworks and a Japanese samurai-style sword.
Nuñez said around 35,000 people had taken part in protests across the country, fewer than during the same period on the previous Saturday. “We will remain extremely vigilant throughout this afternoon,” he said.
To provide security during the protests, French authorities deployed around 70,000 police officers across the country.
