Photo: Thomon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
France's cost-of-living protest movement returned to the streets nationwide on Saturday in demonstrations that ended with 1,435 arrests — and the country's interior minister warned on Monday that further unrest is expected when protesters march again on October 31.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, asked by BFM TV on Monday whether he expected further disturbances during the demonstrations planned for October 31, replied: "Clearly, yes." "Halloween evening is traditionally always a bit lively. We expect it to be complicated again," he added. French authorities are bracing for more street unrest next weekend despite a huge security operation that helped contain Saturday's demonstrations.
Arrest total rises to 1,435
Nunez said 1,435 people were arrested nationwide during Saturday's demonstrations, a higher official tally than the initial figures reported over the weekend. The interior ministry had deployed 70,000 police for the demonstrations, which unions called to denounce the high cost of living and pressure on public services. Nunez said the huge police presence prevented a repeat of the violence seen nine days earlier, when unrest engulfed dozens of cities and led to fears the state had lost control of the streets. Sporadic violence still flared on Saturday, especially in France's three largest cities — Paris, Marseille and Lyon.
The movement has grown far beyond its origins in student discontent, drawing in trade unions and "yellow vest" activists, known for their high-visibility jackets and mass demonstrations against economic pressures including high fuel costs. The protests have rattled President Emmanuel Macron's government for weeks and show little sign of easing.
Far-right gangs confront far-left activists
Nunez said police had also recorded a new phenomenon during the weekend unrest: organised far-right gangs confronting far-left activists in several cities. "We knew there had been calls from numerous identity-based and nationalist movements to come out, officially, to defend businesses," he said. "In a number of cities, such as Nice and Montpellier, these groups arrived in organised formations, mainly to target the ultra-left movement."
Calm first, then talks, government says
The government sought to portray Saturday's operation as evidence it had regained the upper hand. "The state prevailed this weekend. The state was strong," government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told RTL radio. She said protesters had raised legitimate grievances that needed to be heard, but added that restoring calm was a prerequisite for meaningful negotiations. "There are demands that must be heard and answered. To answer them, there is a prerequisite: a return to calm. We cannot have a functioning social dialogue in a climate of violence such as the one we experienced a week ago," she said.
The government was expected later on Monday to announce measures aimed at addressing student concerns over education and university admissions, after a nationwide consultation with high school and university students. But with his presidential mandate due to expire in April and public finances under severe strain, Macron has limited scope to defuse the crisis through the costly concessions that helped quell previous waves of unrest.
Saturday's marches were the latest in a wave of unrest that began with student anger over education and widened into a broader movement over the cost of living, fuel prices and public services. With further demonstrations already planned for October 31 — Halloween night, which falls on a weekend this year — officials are preparing for another difficult round of protests, and for the possibility that the far-right and far-left groups seen on Saturday return to the streets as well.
Sources: Reuters