Mass demonstrations continue in over 100 cities in France

Mass demonstrations continue in France in more than 100 cities. According to the ministry, 410,000 people took part in Saturday's marches across the country, including 110,000 in Paris, while the situation in the capital was generally assessed as calm. Meanwhile, the CGT union, one of the organizers of the protests, presented its own figures: according to its estimates, 800,000 demonstrators took to the streets, including 250,000 in Paris.

In a number of cities, local authorities introduced a ban on demonstrations due to the risk of riots and rioting. Thus, in Lyon, where marches were banned, police were forced to use tear gas to disperse a group of approximately 150 activists. At the same time, in Paris, the action agreed upon with the authorities is proceeding as usual: members of the left-wing party "France Unbowed", including presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, are taking part in it.

In addition, mass protests have taken place in several European countries in recent days, accompanied by clashes with police, rioting, and hundreds of detentions. The reasons for the demonstrations were the rising cost of living, cuts in social spending, corruption scandals, and school uniform requirements.