France Sees Second Weekend of Mass Protests With 410,000 Marchers and Nearly 1,000 Arrests

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across France on Saturday for a second consecutive weekend of mass demonstrations against the high cost of living, fuel prices and deteriorating school conditions. The Interior Ministry counted at least 410,000 participants in 289 separate actions nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris alone, making it one of the largest protest mobilizations in recent French history.

The government deployed 70,000 police officers across the country in a bid to prevent a repeat of last weekend's riots, keeping marchers away from central Paris and guarding strategic sites. The effort produced a largely calm atmosphere in the capital, though clashes erupted in other cities where protesters attempted to enter unauthorized areas. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested, with officials warning the toll could rise further.

The protests present a fresh political challenge for President Emmanuel Macron, who has faced mounting criticism over his handling of last weekend's violence. In Orleans, demonstrators also marched against Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally, which was holding its party congress in the city, adding an explicitly political dimension to what began as a cost-of-living movement. Separately, anti-government protests in Brussels turned into skirmishes between Belgian police and demonstrators, and Albanian police deployed tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets as student unrest escalated in Tirana.