About 106,000 people joined demonstrations across France on Saturday, including 24,000 in Paris, according to figures reported by the Interior Ministry. The nationwide action brought together students and other protesters around concerns that included living costs and a proposal to give police greater legal protection.
The official estimate marked a decline from the previous weekend, when the ministry counted 146,000 participants nationwide and 46,000 in the capital. Organizers published higher figures for both events. A youth trade-union coalition estimated Saturday's turnout at 200,000 across France and 100,000 in Paris, illustrating the familiar gap between police and organizer counts.
Authorities deployed about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes to oversee between 50 and 60 planned marches. In Paris, the announced route ran from Place de la République toward Place de la Nation through Bastille. Metro stations along and near the route were closed as part of the security operation.
The Interior Ministry described the overall situation as controlled but reported limited violence in a number of cities. Projectiles and fireworks were thrown at police in Marseille, Grenoble, Lyon, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Toulouse and Lille, according to the ministry's account. Ten officers sustained minor injuries. Officials also said journalists were assaulted in Lyon and that at least one suspected attacker had been arrested.
By 6 p.m., authorities had recorded 219 arrests nationwide. In Paris, some demonstrators attempted to leave the authorized route and were pushed back by riot police. A police drone later broadcast instructions for people remaining at Place de la Nation to leave.
The protests reflected a broad coalition rather than a single centrally directed campaign. Regional branches of the CGT labor union in the Paris area supported participation, although the union did not issue a nationwide call. Karl Ghazi, the CGT's Paris general secretary, pointed to activist fatigue as a factor organizers needed to recognize.
Turnout figures and descriptions of clashes in this account come from the French authorities as reported by France 24; organizer estimates are identified separately. The demonstrations were the latest in a series that has tested the government's policing strategy while giving students, union members and other groups a common forum for grievances.
Saturday's lower participation did not end the movement, but it showed a loss of momentum compared with the preceding week. The combination of a large security deployment, widespread transport closures and scattered confrontations also underscored the continuing operational burden created by repeated national protest days.
