French Police Detain Demonstrators in Weekend Protests

French security forces detained numerous individuals and deployed tear gas in several urban centers on Saturday, aiming to prevent a repeat of the violent unrest seen during the prior week. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported that 135 people were taken into custody and that authorities confiscated an assortment of items, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana, and airsoft weapons. Nuñez stated, "there has been no major incident" in the country. To maintain order, officials had deployed up to 70,000 officers, supported by helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons.

In Lyon, where demonstrations were prohibited, approximately 150 protesters attempted to block a roadway near the city center, prompting police to use tear gas to disperse the gathering. A 21-year-old student, speaking anonymously to Agence France-Presse, described the police as "really mobile" and noted, "They come and disperse marches before they even form."

In Orleans, thousands of people marched to protest a congress held by Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party, where she is seeking to succeed Emmanuel Macron. With elections six months away and surveys indicating Le Pen is favored to win, marchers chanted "Macron resign. Le Pen in prison" against both leaders, according to AFP. Police estimated 11,000 participants, while organizers put the number at 26,000. About 50 groups, including unions, left-wing parties, and student organizations, organized the protest, which concluded peacefully in the early afternoon.

Authorities reported a "calm" atmosphere in Paris as hundreds assembled at the Porte d'Italie for the city's sole sanctioned march. Originally planned for the Bastille, police relocated the event at the last minute to the southeastern edge of the city. Union representative Murielle Guilbert called it "scandalous" that Macron had barred protesters from demonstrating "where we wish to demonstrate," while a student named Lucas told CBS Saturday Morning that it was "normal for people to be angry."

The protests have disrupted daily life in the capital, with major museums closed and many businesses boarded up. Art Basel opened Friday for one day only, cancelling the weekend program. The first NFL game in France, involving the New Orleans Saints, remains scheduled for Sunday, though some venues are shut. A Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais match planned for Sunday has been moved to Monday night. Around 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted last weekend.

The protests began last month when high school students in the southeast of Paris demonstrated for better conditions and widened as people demanded relief from rising living costs. The Yellow Vests, who emerged about eight years ago to stage disruptive protests against Macron, said they will hold more demonstrations on Oct. 31. They plan rallies and a sit-in outside parliament and city halls, condemning the "authoritarian drift" of the government. Unrest has also spread elsewhere in Europe, with Italy sending additional soldiers to Milan and Albania using water cannons on student protesters.