France Deploys 70,000 Officers to Guard Second Weekend of Price Protests

Seventy thousand police officers were deployed across France on Saturday to guard a second weekend of nationwide protests against the cost of living. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that authorities had detained 135 people and seized a variety of objects, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, improvised weapons, airsoft guns, and a katana. Nuñez stated that no major incidents had occurred in the country so far, despite the heavy security presence that included helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons.

In Lyon, where demonstrations were officially banned, approximately 150 protesters attempted to block a road near the city center. Police used tear gas to disperse the group. A 21-year-old student speaking to Agence France-Presse noted that officers were highly mobile, stating, "They come and disperse marches before they even form."

In Orléans, thousands of people marched against a congress hosted by Marine Le Pen's National Rally party. The event marks the start of Le Pen's presidential campaign for the election taking place in six months. Marchers chanted slogans targeting both Le Pen and President Emmanuel Macron, shouting, "Macron resign. Le Pen in prison." Police counted 11,000 participants, while organizers claimed 26,000 attended. About 50 groups, including unions and student organizations, called for the protest, which ended peacefully in the early afternoon.

Paris authorities described the mood as calm, though they moved the city's only authorized march from the Bastille to the more remote Porte d'Italie at the last minute. Union representative Murielle Guilbert called the change "scandalous," arguing that wages have not risen to the level they should. A student named Lucas told CBS Saturday Morning that it is "normal for people to be angry."

The unrest has disrupted daily life and major events in the capital. Major museums are closed, and many businesses have boarded up their windows. Art Basel opened for one day on Friday, cancelling its weekend program. The first NFL game in France, featuring the New Orleans Saints, remains scheduled for Sunday, though some related venues were shut Saturday. A soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais was moved from Sunday to Monday night. Around 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted during the previous weekend.

The protests began last month with high school students in southeast Paris demanding better conditions before widening to include broader demands for relief from rising costs. The Yellow Vests movement, which emerged about eight years ago, announced plans for more demonstrations on Oct. 31. They intend to hold rallies and a sit-in outside parliament and city halls, condemning the government's "authoritarian drift."

Unrest has also spread to other parts of Europe. Italy sent additional soldiers to Milan after looting and clashes, and Premier Giorgia Meloni announced tougher penalties for minors involved in the violence. In Tirana, Albania, riot police used water cannons on student protesters demanding lower tuition and an end to corruption in education. Thousands of retirees marched in Madrid over pensions, and a housing protest was expected in Lisbon.