French police fired tear gas and clashed with some
on Saturday as thousands marched across France again in largely peaceful demonstrations against soaring living costs and police violence.
asserted
thousands → fire → costs
Police said about 70,000 people demonstrated in Paris alone.
asserted
people → say → Paris
France's interior ministry said about 320,000 people rallied nationwide.
asserted
people → say → ?
Officers had made 27 arrests by 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, compared with 217 arrests a week ago.
asserted
Officers → make → arrests
In the southern port city of Marseille, demonstrators clashed with police.
asserted
demonstrators → clash → police
In Lyon, France's third-largest city, people threw projectiles at police, prompting officers to fire tear gas, according to a journalist at the scene.
uncertain
people → throw → scene
In the southern city of Toulouse, police used water cannon against an unauthorized protest that drew several thousand people, mostly young demonstrators, some of them in costume.
asserted
that → use → costume
In Paris, thousands of people, some wearing costumes ranging from Spider-Man to Frankenstein, walked through eastern Paris as a helicopter circled overhead.
asserted
helicopter → wear → Paris
Placards read: "No need for tear gas to make our future look bleak" and "Dressed up as an angry citizen for Halloween."
asserted
future → read → Halloween
Hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has accused French President Emmanuel Macron's government of "taking an increasingly authoritarian turn," joined the march.
asserted
who → accuse → march
"We say no to the cost of living, no to the far right, yes to high school students' demands, yes to giving citizens a voice," Camille Guerin, 31, said in the western city of Nantes.
asserted
Guerin → say → Nantes
In the northern French city of Lille, 47-year-old Aurelie Herrmann danced at the protest.
asserted
Herrmann → dance → protest
"I dance because on television they only show damage and destruction, whereas you can perfectly well demonstrate in good spirits," she said.
asserted
she → dance → spirits
An aide to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Friday that police had prepared for street violence on a scale "comparable" to the
, when shops were looted and public buildings set ablaze.
asserted
buildings → say → the
Nunez said authorities had detected social media calls for Halloween gatherings on Saturday evening that urged protesters to spark a "revolution.
asserted
that → say → revolution
"Some shopkeepers again prepared by barricading their businesses.
asserted
shopkeepers → prepare → businesses
"Everyone is staying home.
asserted
Everyone → stay → ?
No one is going to come and buy anything," said Wael Boubaker, a cafe employee in eastern Paris, as he covered a storefront with plywood panels.
asserted
he → go → panels
Alain Di Crescenzo, president of France's chamber of commerce, said business owners were worried.
asserted
owners → say → commerce
"Shopkeepers can't wait for Saturday to be over," Di Crescenzo told broadcaster France Inter.
asserted
Crescenzo → wait → Inter
Protests come as elections near
The demonstrations come in a febrile political climate, with presidential elections less than six months away and far-right leader
leading the polls.
asserted
demonstrations → come → polls
The protest movement, bringing together activists, trade unions, and high school and university students, initially focused on the rising cost of living, inequality, and deteriorating learning conditions.
asserted
movement → bring → living
Following a security clampdown and serious injuries to some protesters, the movement broadened its demands to include greater protection of civil liberties and the right to protest.
asserted
movement → follow → liberties
This week, student protesters complained that the police did not authorize a march through the center of the French capital, and vowed to stage new blockades of high schools and universities next week.
asserted
police → complain → schools
With the eurozone's second-largest economy on the brink of recession and under pressure to rein in its debt, the government has limited scope to appease protesters through additional spending.
asserted
government → rein → spending
Similar youth-led demonstrations have been
in recent weeks.
asserted
demonstrations → lead → weeks
Thousands of young Germans took to the streets nationwide on Saturday.
asserted
Thousands → take → Saturday
The Aporia
