Neue Gelbwestenbewegung?: Frankreichweite Proteste: Erste Zusammenstöße mit Polizei

Across France, protests against soaring living costs saw initial clashes between demonstrators and police on a nationwide protest day. Paris, Lyon, and Strasbourg witnessed police using tear gas and batons against protesters, according to the Paris interior ministry. In Marseille, demonstrators attempted to breach a police station and ransacked shops.

Around 100 people were arrested by the Paris police prefecture for carrying weapons and other prohibited items, the ministry reported. President Emmanuel Macron had cautioned citizens the previous evening to protest peacefully. The interior ministry recorded 140 nationwide protest actions involving 32,800 participants. A total of 166 people were detained across the country.

Early afternoon saw planned marches in Paris and numerous other cities, with France anticipating up to 170,000 protesters, of which 30,000 to 60,000 were in Paris alone. Violent assaults by masked individuals were reported by the ministry, especially in Paris, Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse, and Angers. These included looting attempts, attacks on law enforcement, arson in public spaces, and targeted assaults on authorities and media.

Roughly 100 masked individuals blocked access to the right-leaning TV channel CNews in Paris, the media reported. The protest day, previously announced, was also intended to be joined by students and teachers protesting for better learning conditions and school equipment. The call, not attributed to any organization and spread via social media, also addressed high fuel prices, low wages, the large number of underpaid workers, and issues in agriculture and firefighting.

Concerns also arose about a potential resurgence of the Yellow Vest movement. The government feared that the demonstration on Saturday could ignite broader protests, reminiscent of the Yellow Vest protests in 2019 that kept France in a state of turmoil. The Yellow Vest protest was sparked by a planned increase in fuel taxes, quickly evolving into a broader movement against high living costs and social injustice, challenging Macron's first term presidency.