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Paris protests end in tense dispersal at Nation as France counts 146,000 nationwide
France's Interior Ministry said about 146,000 people joined cost-of-living protests nationwide on November 7, including 46,000 in Paris — far below the 575,000 counted on the November 5 strike day. The authorized Paris march from République to Nation was largely peaceful, but police said about 200 people attacked officers during the dispersal; a banned Yellow Vests gathering at Concorde drew about 30 fines and two spokespeople were detained.
France's cost-of-living protests entered a fourth consecutive Saturday on November 7. The Interior Ministry said about 146,000 people took to the streets nationwide, including 46,000 in Paris; the youth union coalition put the figures at 250,000 and 75,000. Both counts were far below the November 5 nationwide strike day (575,000 by the ministry, 1.6 million by unions) and below the previous three Saturdays. At 2 p.m., the ministry counted only about 7,000 people at 68 actions outside Paris, down sharply from 15,000 at the same time on October 31.
Largely peaceful march, tense dispersal at Nation
The authorized union march in Paris left Place de la République at 2 p.m. and headed along Boulevard Voltaire to Place de la Nation, remaining largely peaceful. But according to the Paris police prefecture, during the dispersal about 200 violent individuals attacked security forces after a man was arrested for setting fire to a rubbish bin; the dispersal wound down at about 7:26 p.m.
Banned Yellow Vests gathering at Concorde: about 30 fined
The Yellow Vests gathering at Place de la Concorde had been banned by the Paris police prefecture. About 100 people who showed up were surrounded by officers and about 30 were fined; movement coordinator Benjamin Ball and spokeswoman Azelma Sigaux were taken into custody. In Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred people who had blocked a road during an unauthorized gathering.
70,000 officers deployed; PM to meet unions on Monday
Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes nationwide; police carried out more than 840 identity checks at railway stations in Paris and its suburbs by late morning. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is due to meet union and employer representatives on Monday, November 9, to discuss wages and purchasing power, while student and teacher groups have called another strike for Tuesday, November 10.
(Sources: French Interior Ministry, Paris Police Prefecture, AFP, BFMTV.)
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