NewzPARIS (AP) — Clashes erupted as a mass march drew to a close in Paris on Saturday, a week after widespread rioting and looting. More than 400,000 people rallied across France over school funding and soaring living costs, mounting a fresh challenge to President Emmanuel Macron’s government.The Paris march began peacefully. But near its endpoint at Porte de Vincennes, some protesters threw projectiles while police fired volleys of tear gas and used water cannons to disperse people.The Interior Ministry put nationwide turnout at 410,000, including 110,000 in Paris.
Authorities had confined the capital’s march to the city’s southeastern edge, keeping protesters away from central neighborhoods hit by last weekend’s destruction.Elsewhere in France, police used tear gas in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand and Strasbourg and water cannons in Nice and Nantes, French media reported. In Marseille, officers fired tear gas during clashes with several dozen people near the march’s endpoint.The Paris prosecutor’s office said 64 people had been arrested in connection with Saturday’s demonstration and 40 placed in police custody. Those arrested included six minors.
Most arrests concerned suspected weapons offenses or participation in a group preparing violence or property damage, the office said.The unrest is testing Macron's authority in the final months of his presidency before voters choose his successor in May. The stakes are high: the far-right National Rally has accused his government of failing to protect the public and urged people to channel their anger into votes for them.Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had announced a nationwide deployment of up to 70,000 officers, backed by helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons.Trade unions led the procession, followed by protesters in raincoats carrying flags and handmade placards.Camille Chesnier, 27, said she had been unable to find work despite having an engineering degree and a master’s degree.“There are enormous numbers of people in the same situation as me but who aren’t privileged and who find themselves living on the streets and in squats and, frankly, it’s very tough,” she said.A small protest became a national movementWhat began last month as a protest over staff shortages at one high school southeast of Paris has spread nationwide, drawing students demanding better schools and workers seeking higher wages and pension… PARIS (AP) — Protesters and police are clashing in Paris, with tear gas fired and projectiles thrown, at the tail-end of demonstrations in the capital and elsewhere that the French government says have drawn 410,000 demonstrators nationwide.Paris saw the largest protest on Saturday, with the interior ministry estimating that 110,000 took part in a march on the city’s southeastern edge that started peacefully but is ending with violence.Police have fired volleys of tear gas and are also using water cannons to try to disperse people, including some who have thrown projectiles.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.
AP’s earlier story follows below.More than 100,000 people marched in Paris on Saturday over school funding and soaring living costs, challenging President Emmanuel Macron's government as police fired tear gas and water cannons near the end of the protest.Paris police estimated turnout at 110,000, with demonstrators mobilizing despite restrictions that confined the march to the city’s southeastern edge, away from the center.Police used tear gas in several cities, including Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, and Strasbourg, and water cannons in Nice and Nantes, French media reported. PARIS (AP) — More than 100,000 people marched in Paris on Saturday over school funding and soaring living costs, challenging President Emmanuel Macron's government as police fired tear gas and water cannons near the end of the protest.Paris police estimated turnout at 110,000, with demonstrators mobilizing despite restrictions that confined the march to the city’s southeastern edge, away from the center.Police used tear gas in several cities, including Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, and Strasbourg, and water cannons in Nice and Nantes, French media reported. Both had supported the movement from the start, but this was their first protest together.“The young people who have been demonstrating have not been heard, and as a parent …
An Associated Press journalist saw tens of thousands of people marching from Porte d’Italie early in the afternoon. Trade unions led the procession, followed by protesters in raincoats carrying flags and handmade placards.After reaching the authorized endpoint at Porte de Vincennes, some demonstrators tried to continue toward Place de la Nation, but police blocked their path, French media reported.Camille Chesnier, 27, said she had been unable to find work despite having an engineering degree and a master’s degree.“There are enormous numbers of people in the same situation as me but who aren’t privileged and who find themselves living on the streets and in squats and, frankly, it’s very tough,” she said.A small protest became a national movementWhat began last month as a protest over staff shortages at one high school southeast of Paris has spread nationwide, drawing stude…
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