France stations 70,000 officers for protests

French police deployed 70,000 officers to guard major cities during the second weekend of cost-of-living protests on Saturday. Authorities fired tear gas and detained 135 people to prevent a repeat of the unrest from the previous week. The security force included helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the arrests and listed the items seized from demonstrators. The haul included metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, and improvised weapons. Officers also confiscated a katana and airsoft weapons. Nuñez stated that there had been no major incident in the country so far.

In Lyon, authorities had banned demonstrations. About 150 protesters near the city center tried to block a road briefly. Police used tear gas to clear the area. A 21-year-old student told Agence France-Presse that officers were highly mobile. The student noted that police dispersed marches before they could fully form.

Thousands marched in Orléans against a congress hosted by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party. Le Pen is using the event to launch her bid to succeed President Emmanuel Macron. Elections are scheduled in six months, and current surveys show Le Pen in the lead. Demonstrators chanted for Macron to resign and for Le Pen to go to prison.

Police counted 11,000 participants in Orléans, while organizers claimed 26,000 attended. Roughly 50 groups called for the protest, including unions, left-wing parties, and student organizations. French media reported the march ended peacefully in the early afternoon. The party congress is expected to continue through Sunday.

Authorities described the atmosphere in Paris as calm. Hundreds gathered at the Porte d’Italie for the city’s only authorized march. Police moved the route from the Bastille to the southeastern edge of the city at the last minute. Union organizers accepted the change reluctantly. Murielle Guilbert, a union representative, called the move scandalous. She said Macron barred protesters from demonstrating where they wished.

Lucas, a student, told CBS Saturday Morning that it was normal for people to be angry. Guilbert added that wages have not risen to the level they should. The protests began last month when high school students in southeast Paris demanded better conditions. The movement widened as people sought relief from rising living costs.

The unrest has disrupted daily life in the capital. Major museums are closed, and many businesses are boarded up. Art Basel opened for one day only on Friday, cancelling its weekend program. The first NFL game in France, involving the New Orleans Saints, remains scheduled for Sunday. However, some related venues were shut on Saturday. A soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, planned for Sunday, was moved to Monday night. About 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted during the first weekend.

The Yellow Vests, a group that emerged eight years ago to protest Macron, announced more demonstrations for October 31. They plan rallies and a sit-in outside parliament and city halls. The group condemned the government’s authoritarian drift. Unrest has also spread to other parts of Europe, including Italy, Albania, Spain, and Portugal.