France Police Arrest 27 as 320,000 Protest Across Nation

Crowds across France marched on Saturday amid clashes with police in several major cities.

The interior ministry reported that approximately 320,000 people rallied nationwide. Police counted about 70,000 demonstrators in Paris alone. Officers made 27 arrests by 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. This number is lower than the 217 arrests recorded a week earlier.

In Marseille, demonstrators clashed with police forces. In Lyon, people threw projectiles at officers, who responded with tear gas. In Toulouse, police used water cannon against an unauthorized protest that drew several thousand young people.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a hard-left presidential candidate, joined the march in Paris. He has accused President Emmanuel Macron's government of taking an increasingly authoritarian turn. Some participants wore costumes ranging from Spider-Man to Frankenstein. A helicopter circled overhead as placards read "No need for tear gas to make our future look bleak."

Camille Guerin, 31, spoke in Nantes. "We say no to the cost of living, no to the far right, yes to high school students' demands, yes to giving citizens a voice," she said. In Lille, Aurelie Herrmann, 47, danced at the protest. "I dance because on television they only show damage and destruction, whereas you can perfectly well demonstrate in good spirits," she said.

An aide to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police prepared for violence comparable to the recent unrest when shops were looted. Nunez noted that social media called for Halloween gatherings to spark a "revolution." Some shopkeepers barricaded their businesses with plywood.

Alain Di Crescenzo, president of France's chamber of commerce, told broadcaster France Inter that business owners were worried. "Shopkeepers can't wait for Saturday to be over," he said. The protests occur with presidential elections less than six months away. Far-right leaders currently lead the polls. Student groups vowed to stage new blockades of high schools and universities next week after police denied authorization for a central Paris march.