France detains 135 protesters; Yellow Vests call new protests for 31 October

Nationwide protests against the high cost of living resumed in France on Saturday, including in the capital, Paris. Police have so far detained 135 people, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said. These are the first protests since riots last weekend, when many shops were looted, so security measures have been stepped up.

Confiscated weapons

The minister said police had seized a range of weapons: metal balls, lead shot, firecrackers, slingshots, airsoft guns and a samurai sword. He noted that no serious incidents had occurred so far. At midday, Paris police described the situation as calm.

Route change in Paris

At the last minute, Paris police altered the route of a march organised by trade unions, moving its starting point from Place de la Bastille in the city centre to the Porte d'Italie on the southern edge of the city. This was the only authorised demonstration, and several hundred people gathered there. The unions reluctantly agreed, but the Yellow Vests movement refused to comply with the order. From nine in the morning, the first demonstrators arrived at Place de la Bastille and were driven away by police. The Paris metro was overcrowded.

Fearing possible riots, the Louvre, Orsay and Picasso museums, as well as the Grand Palais in Paris, were closed on Saturday.

Other cities

In Lyon, where all demonstrations are banned, police used tear gas to disperse about 150 protesters. In Orléans, several thousand people took to the streets against the congress being held there by the National Rally (RN), a national-conservative party. Demonstrators opposed both the RN's presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and the current president, Emmanuel Macron, chanting: "Macron, resign, Le Pen to prison!"

Next protests

The Yellow Vests movement has called for new actions on 31 October. Organisers urge rallies and sit-in strikes outside parliament and town halls across the country to condemn what they call Macron's "authoritarian drift" and to defend public freedoms. A spokesperson for the movement told journalists that next Saturday people would protest for the freedom to protest and for all freedoms.