At least 135 people have been arrested as fresh protests began in France on Saturday, with thousands of people lining the streets of Paris, Lyon, and Orleans to protest against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.
However, this time, there was no sign of the street violence that erupted at last week's protests, which left at least two dead and more than 2,700 arrested, not to mention millions of dollars in damages.
Yet, the anger remains, as the protesters continue to fight against not just rising living costs and poor conditions in schools, but also low wages and a recent setback: the President Emmanuel Macron government banning non-union-led demonstrations—a move that received backlash from several groups.
In fact, Macron was also warned by far-left leader Jean Luc Melenchon to "give in" before a nationwide strike planned on November 5, as per a report from French outlet BFMTV.
“The masses will be set in motion," warned the leader of La France Insoumise, the far-left party that has backed the student-led protests.
Still, security forces appeared more prepared this time round, as more than 70,000 personnel were deployed across the country.
"There has been no major incident" as of 10 AM GMT (3:30 PM IST), Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said in an AFP report, adding that the government would not "tolerate any violence or any disturbance of public order".
Indeed, this time, the police forces had armoured vehicles, helicopters and water cannons ready to respond, with a student in Lyon claiming that protest marches were being dispersed "before they even form".
“Last week, the police weren’t nearly as mobile. Today ... we end up exchanging information like criminals. We’re in small groups—sometimes just pairs—trying to share updates and find other people, but it’s extremely difficult," the student added.
Nunez also pointed out that a number of items—such as metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, airsoft weapons, and a katana sword—that might be used as weapons were confiscated.
Tear gas has also been used in cities like Lille and Marseille, with videos showing the police charging dozens of protesters wearing face masks.
Notably, Lyon saw the use of tear gas for more than an hour today, as police teams worked hard to disperse multiple small protests.
BFMTV later reported that the number of protesters here had still swelled up to 10,000.
