Yesterday, across France, more than 1,300 people were arrested during protests in which hundreds of thousands took part. Police reported clashes, the BBC writes.
After largely peaceful demonstrations, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters in a number of cities, including Paris.
In Marseille, barricades were set alight, while in Bordeaux people tore boards off shopfront windows.
At the same time, the authorities managed to avoid mass rioting and looting on the scale seen last weekend.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, around 410,000 people took part in Saturday’s protests, while trade unions put the number of participants at roughly 800,000.
In several cities, around 70,000 police officers were deployed and restrictions were introduced to prevent the latest protests from descending into chaos. It is known that 53 police officers were injured nationwide during yesterday’s clashes.
- Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered that only those demonstrations organised by officially recognised trade unions be allowed. Following expedited court hearings, hundreds of people were jailed for vandalism, arson and looting.