Fresh cost-of-living protests erupted across France on Saturday, with police in Lyon firing tear gas to disperse a crowd of about 150 demonstrators who attempted to block a road near the city centre. The move came as authorities sought to prevent a repeat of the violent scenes that marked last weekend's demonstrations.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that as of 1 pm on Saturday, 135 people had been arrested nationwide. In Lyon, where restrictions on demonstrations were in place, riot police were highly visible, and a 21-year-old student at the protest told AFP: "The police are really mobile. They come and disperse marches before they even form."
Government steps up security
Last Saturday's mass protests saw widespread violence in several cities, with buildings and vehicles set alight, masked individuals smashing shop windows, and looting. Unrest continued in Paris on Sunday, as masked youths erected flaming barricades and police charged crowds.
This weekend, the French government has ramped up security operations, and many businesses have taken precautions, boarding up windows or closing for the day. The interior ministry has deployed tens of thousands of officers, as reported in our earlier coverage.
A last-minute change to the route of a planned Paris protest has drawn criticism from unions and left-wing politicians, who argue the move could scatter demonstrators and fuel further chaos. Police had initially approved a march between Bastille and Nation squares in the east of the capital, but on Friday they overturned that decision, proposing instead a route between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes along the city's southeastern edge.
National Rally congress under watch
To the south of the capital, authorities are keeping a close watch on the hard-right National Rally party's congress in Orléans. The event, which will feature speeches by Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, has drawn both supporters and counterprotesters, raising fears of clashes between the groups.
Police say they have stationed forces at various arrival points into the city and throughout the centre, carrying out checks and seizing items that could be used to "disrupt the smooth running of the planned events."
The protests come amid broader economic concerns in France. The country's economy contracted again in the latest quarter, as eurozone growth loses steam. Economists have also warned of a looming debt problem, even as Moody's spared France's credit rating earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the government's handling of the protests has drawn comparisons to other European nations facing similar unrest. In Italy, authorities have deployed elite units and drones to secure upcoming demonstrations, as reported.
As the weekend progresses, all eyes will be on whether the increased security measures can prevent the kind of violence that shocked the country last week. The coming days will test both the government's ability to maintain order and its willingness to address the underlying grievances driving the protests.
