Nearly 1,000 arrested as protests spread across France
Nearly 1,000 arrests were made as hundreds of thousands protested across France on Saturday, with clashes erupting in Paris, Marseille, and Bordeaux after largely peaceful daytime marches. Police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds, while barricades were set alight in several cities. The interior ministry estimated 410,000 protesters, though unions cited 800,000, with 70,000 officers deployed to prevent a repeat of last weekend's rioting and looting. The protests over cost of living and school conditions follow last week's demonstrations that saw over 2,500 arrests and damage estimated at hundreds of millions of euros. Similar unrest occurred in Barcelona, Tirana, and Brussels, ahead of France's presidential elections in six months.