France's second Saturday of mass protests: arrest total updated to 1,314, 53 officers injured

France saw a second consecutive Saturday of mass protests on 24 October, over the rising cost of living and the state of public services. The interior ministry estimated about 410,000 people took part nationwide, including about 110,000 in Paris, while the unions that organised the marches claimed 800,000 nationwide and 250,000 in the capital. The marches were largely peaceful during the day, with clashes breaking out late in the day in Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes, Lille, Montpellier and Toulouse.

Arrests: from nearly 1,000 to 1,314

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Saturday evening that nearly 1,000 people had been arrested, a provisional figure he expected to rise. France 24, citing interior ministry figures on Sunday, reported the total had been updated to 1,314. The same report said 53 officers were injured in the clashes. Nuñez said on Saturday evening that two protesters were seriously injured, one in Toulouse and one in Clermont-Ferrand. The ministry also reported 75 fires during Saturday's protests and 24 shops looted.

What happened in Paris and beyond

In Paris, the main march ran from Porte d'Italie towards Porte de Vincennes, where clashes broke out at the end of the route: masked protesters threw objects and fireworks, and police responded with tear gas, sound grenades and water cannon. In Marseille, barricades were set on fire; in Bordeaux, people tore boards off a building to block a street; police also fired tear gas in Lyon and Nantes. About 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed across the country.

Comparison with the previous week

The Saturday-night arrest figure of nearly 1,000 was already well above the 385 recorded at the same point on the previous Saturday, according to the minister, when official turnout was about 550,000. The protests began over demands for better educational resources and have since broadened to wider grievances, including the cost of living.