PARIS — Hundreds of thousands of mostly young protesters took to the streets across France on Saturday in a third consecutive weekend of demonstrations over living costs and education. About 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed across the country, and Paris marches were rerouted to the capital's edge. Youth-led demonstrations were also reported in Germany and Italy.
France's government estimated that 320,000 people protested nationwide Saturday, fewer than in previous protests but still a significant turnout. Mass protests on Oct. 17 that deteriorated into some of France's worst rioting in years drew more than 500,000 people around France, and demonstrations on Oct. 24 drew 410,000, according to government estimates. Organizers' turnout estimates are much higher.
Authorities in France reported about 300 arrests nationwide so far — down from 800 at the same point in last week's protests. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a "very high risk" of disorder, especially after dark on Halloween. Police had arrested thousands of people following riots and looting that marred the largely peaceful protest marches the previous two Saturdays.
At Porte de Bagnolet, on the eastern edge of Paris, thousands gathered behind a line of students who led the march hand in hand. Security agents from the CGT, one of France's largest labor unions, were keeping watch at the front of the gathering, while police were massed on side streets. The Interior Ministry told reporters that of the 320,000 protesting Saturday, 70,000 people are estimated to have turned out for the main protest in Paris, which police moved outside the city center to reduce the risk of unrest around government buildings and tourist sites after a last-minute court battle.
Each group carried its own banner: high school students, climate activists and people angry about the cost of living. Corentin Cabreux, a 21-year-old student, said that he lives in a state-run student residence where "there are damp stains all along the bottom of my walls, whole sections peeling off, cockroaches everywhere, rats." The crowd streamed along the Boulevards des Maréchaux, the ring of avenues that skirts the edge of Paris, in a march that was joyful for hours. Techno music blasted from speakers, a painter at work along the route drew cheers from the crowd, and some marchers went trick-or-treating.
A police helicopter hovered overhead as the sun set slowly over the city. Later, clashes broke out near Porte de Charenton, where the march ended. Protesters hurled glass bottles and fireworks at police.
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