France Arrests 135 as 70,000 Officers Guard Second Weekend of Protests

French authorities detained 135 individuals and deployed 70,000 police officers on Saturday to manage nationwide demonstrations against the cost of living.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the figures after a day of targeted security measures in major urban centers. He stated that forces included helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons. Nuñez described the situation as stable, noting that no major incidents had occurred despite the large turnout.

The current unrest follows a volatile weekend last week when more than 500,000 people took to the streets. Authorities sought to prevent a repetition of the previous chaos, which resulted in damage to approximately 3,000 shops across the country.

Police seized various items from demonstrators, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, airsoft guns, and a katana. In Lyon, where public demonstrations were prohibited, about 150 protesters attempted to block a road near the city center. Officers used tear gas to disperse the group. A 21-year-old student told Agence France-Presse that the police response was highly mobile, dispersing marches before they fully formed.

In Orléans, thousands marched past a congress hosted by Marine Le Pen's National Rally party. Le Pen is using the event to launch her campaign for the presidency, with elections scheduled in six months. Marchers chanted slogans demanding Macron resign and Le Pen be imprisoned. Police counted 11,000 participants, while organizers claimed 26,000 attended. The protest involved about 50 groups, including unions and student organizations, and ended peacefully in the early afternoon.

Paris authorities described the mood as calm during the city's only authorized march at Porte d'Italie. Police moved the location from the Bastille at the last minute, a change union organizers accepted reluctantly. Murielle Guilbert, a union representative, called the ban on demonstrating in preferred locations scandalous. She emphasized that wages have not risen to expected levels. Lucas, a student interviewed by CBS Saturday Morning, described the public anger as normal.

Disruptions to daily life and cultural events continue in the capital. Major museums remain closed, and many businesses have boarded up their windows. Art Basel opened on Friday but cancelled its weekend program after a single day of activity. The first NFL game in France, featuring the New Orleans Saints, remains scheduled for Sunday, though some related venues were closed on Saturday. A soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, originally planned for Sunday, has been moved to Monday night.

The protests began last month with high school students in the southeast of Paris demanding better conditions. The movement expanded as demands for relief from rising living costs spread. The Yellow Vests, a group that emerged eight years ago to protest against Macron, announced they will hold further demonstrations on October 31. They plan rallies and a sit-in outside parliament and city halls, criticizing the government's authoritarian drift. Unrest has also appeared elsewhere in Europe, with Italy sending soldiers to Milan and riot police using water cannons on student protesters in Tirana, Albania.