Around 106,000 people attended cost-of-living protests across France on Saturday, including 24,000 in Paris, according to the interior ministry — the lowest turnout estimate for weekend rallies in recent weeks. Student unions put the number much higher, at 200,000, including almost 100,000 in Paris.
It was the fifth Saturday in a row of demonstrations, joining students, unions and Yellow Vest activists in protesting the rising cost of living and a new police bill in parliament that would give police officers who use their weapons a presumption of legitimate self-defence.
The rallies were largely peaceful, but have seen fringe violence in recent weeks, along with accusations of police brutality, including against young teenagers. Police fired teargas to disperse crowds in Paris, Bordeaux and Nantes, according to AFP. About 70,000 police were deployed nationwide, according to Al Jazeera.
Backers of the bill — including the far-right party of leading presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen — say it is necessary so officers are not automatically suspected of disproportionate force. Activists argue it would amount to a “licence to kill” and make holding security forces accountable harder.
Unions have called a new day of strikes for Tuesday after rejecting a government promise to raise the minimum wage by 0.6 percent as “crumbs”. The largest protests in recent weeks came during a union-led strike last Thursday, when more than half a million people took to the streets nationwide.
France has been gripped by high-school blockades and mass demonstrations for more than a month, and more than 4,900 people have been detained since 17 October, according to Reuters.
The featured image is illustrative only and is not a photo of Saturday’s protests.
Source: TRT World (AFP)
