Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested following protests across France, where hundreds of thousands took to the streets over the cost of living and poor school conditions.
The demonstrations were largely peaceful on Saturday before clashes broke out in several cities, including Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux and Lyon. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds, while protesters set fire to barricades and damaged property.
France’s Interior Ministry estimated that 410,000 people participated in the protests, while trade unions put the figure at about 800,000. Some 70,000 police officers were deployed to maintain order.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said several thousand radical activists joined the Paris march, including about 500 people identified as rioters. He also reported that two people were seriously injured in separate incidents in Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand.
Authorities imposed restrictions in several cities following widespread rioting and looting the previous weekend. President Emmanuel Macron had also directed that only demonstrations organised by recognised trade unions would be permitted.
Protesters said they were frustrated by rising costs, heavy taxation and what they described as a lack of response from the government.
One 26-year-old demonstrator in Paris told the BBC that people had taken to the streets because they had been suffering for too long and wanted change.
Similar protests took place elsewhere in Europe. Riot police used tear gas against demonstrators in Albania’s capital, Tirana, while clashes were reported in Brussels, Belgium. In Milan, Italy, a major security operation prevented protesters from gathering.
