Tension and clashes as hundreds of thousands protest again in France

Authorities say 320,000 march on third consecutive weekend of demonstrations over cost of living and state of schools.

Protesters use makeshift shields during a demonstration in Paris, France, on Saturday [Pedro Nunes/Reuters]

Police have fired tear gas at protesters in Paris and Lyon as hundreds of thousands of mostly young people marched across France over the cost of living and the state of the country’s schools.

Saturday’s rallies were the third consecutive weekend of demonstrations in France.

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A coalition of youth organisations and unions representing high school and university students said nearly half a million people took part, including 200,000 in Paris. The authorities put the nationwide turnout at 320,000, including 70,000 in the capital.

Marches in the capital began peacefully, but turned violent as protesters gathered near the point where the main march was due to end on Saturday. Bins and street furniture were set alight, and plumes of smoke could be seen rising over the city.

“What we’ve been seeing … is the police firing a lot of tear gas into this crowd,” said Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, adding that her team “had to move out of the way because it was simply too much for us to breathe”.

Riot police warned over loudspeakers that they would fire more tear gas if protesters did not clear the street. Medics carried away people who had been injured, while some protesters raised their hands to show police they meant no harm.

Dozens of masked people dressed in black also used hammers to pry up paving stones and hurl them at police on the outskirts of Paris, the AFP news agency reported. At least one incendiary device was also thrown at security forces, who responded with tear gas and baton charges.

France’s Ministry of Interior said at least 290 people nationwide had so far been arrested.

A police officer holds a Cougar grenade launcher in Toulouse, southwestern France [AFP]

Protesters say ‘trust has gone’

Butler said most protesters condemned the violence, but many blamed the government for failing to listen to them.

“You really get a sense with people who have come into the street again and again over the past few weeks that they simply don’t believe the government any more. That trust has gone,” she said.

The government says it has heard the protesters. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has held several meetings with student unions this week and is looking at measures to ease the cost of living.

About 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed across the country, and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned of a “very high risk” of disorder, especially after dark on Halloween.

The main Paris march was moved to the city’s eastern edge after a last-minute court battle, and unaccompanied minors faced a 9pm (20:00 GMT) curfew around the Champs-Elysees.

The movement began last month with high school students protesting against neglected buildings, teacher shortages and a university admissions system seen as unfair to disadvantaged students. Labour unions have since joined.

Rallies spread across Europe

On October 17 , protests drew more than 500,000 people and turned into some of France’s worst rioting in years, according to government estimates, with shops in Paris looted.

Meanwhile, protests have taken place in other cities across Europe.

On Saturday, young people in Germany were the latest to join the fray.

Thousands rallied while police in Cologne used water cannon to break up large crowds protesting against rising costs, education cuts and plans for military conscription. Organisers said 170,000 people had registered for demonstrations in more than 30 cities.

In Barcelona, Spain, regional police prepared their highest alert level after rioting on October 24 led to about 130 arrests, mostly of minors.

Italian police were also on alert after clashes in Milan, Turin and Bologna.

A protester holds a firework during a demonstration in Paris, France [Pedro Nunes/Reuters]

当局称，连续第三个周末，32万人走上街头，举行示威游行，抗议生活成本高昂和学校状况不佳。

周六，在法国巴黎举行的示威活动中，抗议者使用临时盾牌。[佩德罗·努内斯/路透社]

在巴黎和里昂，数十万以年轻人为主的民众走上街头，抗议生活成本高昂和学校状况恶劣，警方对示威者发射了催泪瓦斯。

周六的集会是法国连续第三个周末举行的示威游行。

联合国专家对法国学生抗议活动中过度使用武力发出警告（共4位专家，此为第1位）

（共4条，此为第2条）法国严阵以待，应对万圣节抗议活动中可能发生的“极高风险”骚乱。

意大利加强安保，学生和工会发起全国性抗议活动（共4条，此为第3条）

波兰警方在首席法官停职后被部署到最高法院，这是4名波兰警察中的第4名。

代表高中生和大学生的青年组织和工会联盟表示，近50万人参加了此次活动，其中巴黎有20万人。官方公布的全国参与人数为32万人，其中首都巴黎有7万人。

首都的游行活动起初和平进行，但随着抗议者聚集在周六主要游行路线的终点附近，冲突演变为暴力事件。垃圾桶和街道设施被点燃，城市上空升起滚滚浓烟。

“我们看到的是……警察向人群发射了大量催泪瓦斯，”半岛电视台记者娜塔莎·巴特勒在巴黎报道说，并补充道，她的团队“不得不躲开，因为催泪瓦斯太浓，我们根本无法呼吸”。

防暴警察通过扩音器警告，如果示威者不离开街道，他们将发射更多催泪瓦斯。医护人员抬走了受伤人员，一些示威者举起双手，向警察表示他们没有恶意。

据法新社报道，在巴黎郊区，数十名蒙面黑衣人用锤子撬起路面石块，并向警察投掷。至少有一枚燃烧弹被投掷到安全部队，安全部队则以催泪瓦斯和警棍还击。

法国内政部表示，目前全国至少已有290人被捕。

在法国西南部城市图卢兹，一名警察手持“美洲狮”榴弹发射器。[法新社]

抗议者称“信任已荡然无存”

巴特勒表示，大多数抗议者谴责了暴力行为，但许多人指责政府没有听取他们的意见。

她说：“过去几周，人们一次又一次地走上街头，你真的能感受到他们已经不再相信政府了。信任已经荡然无存。”

政府表示已听取抗议者的意见。总理塞巴斯蒂安·勒科尔努本周已与学生会举行了多次会议，并正在研究缓解生活成本压力的措施。

全国部署了约 7 万名警察和宪兵，内政部长洛朗·努涅斯警告说，发生骚乱的风险“非常高”，尤其是在万圣节夜幕降临之后。

经过最后一刻的法庭斗争，巴黎的主要游行路线被移至该市东部边缘，无人陪伴的未成年人在香榭丽舍大街附近面临晚上 9 点（格林尼治标准时间 20:00）的宵禁。

这场运动始于上个月，当时高中生们抗议学校建筑年久失修、师资短缺以及被认为对弱势学生不公平的大学招生制度。此后，工会也加入了抗议活动。

集会蔓延至欧洲各地。

10 月 17 日，抗议活动吸引了超过 50 万人参加，并演变成法国近年来最严重的骚乱之一（据政府估计），巴黎的商店遭到洗劫。

与此同时，欧洲其他城市也爆发了抗议活动。

周六，德国的年轻人也加入了这场争论。

数千人举行集会，科隆警方动用水炮驱散了抗议人群，他们抗议物价上涨、教育经费削减以及兵役征召计划。组织者称，已有超过30个城市的17万人登记参加示威活动。

在西班牙巴塞罗那，10 月 24 日的骚乱导致约 130 人被捕，其中大部分是未成年人，之后当地警方启动了最高级别的警戒状态。

在米兰、都灵和博洛尼亚发生冲突后，意大利警方也处于戒备状态。

在法国巴黎的一次示威活动中，一名抗议者手持烟花。[佩德罗·努内斯/路透社]