▲ Protesters take to the streets in Paris, France, on October 24 (local time).
Protests against high living costs held across France on October 24 (local time) proceeded without a repeat of the extreme violence or looting seen the previous week, aided by the authorities' aggressive deployment of massive law enforcement, foreign media including Bloomberg reported on October 25 (local time).
To prevent a recurrence of violent incidents, authorities issued protest restrictions, deployed 70,000 police officers along with helicopters and armored vehicles, and signaled a firm response to aggressive behavior. As a result, the scale of the protests decreased compared to October 17, and the overheated atmosphere subsided somewhat, foreign outlets reported.
According to the French Ministry of the Interior, approximately 110,000 people participated in the protests in the capital Paris, which were restricted to the outer districts, while about 300,000 people took to the streets nationwide. This brought the total estimated turnout to around 400,000, lower than the approximately 550,000 recorded the previous week.
However, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), a major French trade union that encouraged participation in the protests, estimated the number of participants at 800,000, showing a discrepancy with the government's figures.
While most of the demonstrations remained peaceful, sporadic clashes broke out between groups of protesters and police toward the end of the rallies in major cities such as Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Toulouse, leading to about 1,300 arrests across France.
Police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters dressed in black with their faces covered who confronted law enforcement, while some protesters fired fireworks at police, heightening tensions.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez blamed far-left groups for the clashes, claiming that they tried to start and end an insurrection.
Minister Nuñez noted that violence directed at police remained at a high level, but thanks to the deployment of a large police force, "we were able to prevent the looting of shops and property damage like last week." He emphasized that "all capabilities will be focused over the coming days and weeks to respond to threats."
Taken by surprise last week when massive protests turned into nationwide violence and looting, the French government went all out to prevent a recurrence of the chaos by deploying about 70,000 security personnel, including counterterrorism special forces.
With subway stations closed across central Paris, major cultural institutions such as the Louvre Museum and the Orsay Museum closed for the day, and football matches between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais were postponed.
From luxury stores to grocery shops, businesses prepared for vandalism and looting by boarding up windows with wooden panels and clearing items from display shelves.
Although Saturday's protests, dubbed "Act II" by organizers to signify the next phase, passed without extreme violence, large-scale demonstrations are expected to continue for the time being, meaning French authorities will likely remain on high alert.
The French high school student group "Le Renouveau Lycéen," which ignited the nationwide massive protests by demanding improvements to poor educational conditions, stated that it is prepared to continue demonstrations if concrete government measures are not presented ahead of its meeting with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu scheduled for October 26.
With trade unions also calling for a general strike on November 5, the CGT vowed to escalate protests until the government and employers meet workers' demands.
The "Yellow Vests" movement, which led the violence-marred protests on October 17, has called for additional sit-in style protests dubbed "Act III" on Saturday, October 31, urging citizens to gather near the French National Assembly building in Paris and in front of city halls in other regions.
As protests in France protesting poor educational conditions and soaring prices spread like wildfire to other European nations facing similar situations, large-scale demonstrations and clashes also unfolded in Spain, Italy, Belgium, and Albania on the same day.
In Barcelona, Spain, public disorder broke out around Catalonia Square in the city center as protesters set fire to garbage bins, looted shops, and threw stones at police, resulting in a total of 128 arrests on charges of property destruction and looting.
Local media reported that more than half of those detained, 73 individuals, were minors.
In Italy as well, small and large rallies were held in major regions including the capital Rome, the second-largest city Milan, Turin, and Florence.
In Rome, amid clashes between police and protesters, some demonstrators managed to enter the Colosseum.
In Milan, where 1,400 military and police personnel—including paratroopers—were deployed, no luxury store looting incidents like those seen the previous weekend were reported.
Italian police stated that the protests resulted in at least 9 arrests and 371 individuals being escorted to police stations.
In the Belgian capital of Brussels, about 400 protesters engaged in sporadic clashes with police, resulting in 9 arrests, according to The Brussels Times.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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