Hundreds of thousands of people marched across France on Saturday against rising living costs and growing inequality, Mint reported, citing Reuters. The protests were largely peaceful but turned violent in several cities.
France's interior ministry estimated that about 4.1 lakh people took part nationwide, while trade unions said the real number was more than twice that. The biggest gathering, of at least 1.1 lakh people, was on the south-eastern edge of Paris.
Paris locked down
Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes, 10,000 more than the previous week. Much of central Paris was sealed off and more than 20 metro stations were shut. The Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Paris Opera closed as a precaution, leaving tourists stranded.
After the main rally ended, riot police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse a breakaway group of about 500 hooded youths.
Violence in other cities
In France's second-largest city, youths set bins on fire to block roads and threw stones at police, and several shops, including two jewellers, were looted. Clashes were also reported in Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Lille.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez blamed far-left activists and criminal gangs for forming "high-risk groups" to stir up violence, and said far-right activists had sought clashes with left-wing groups in Nice and Montpellier.
A growing movement
What began last month as small student protests in the Paris suburbs has spread abroad, with anti-government demonstrations on Saturday in Italy, Albania and Belgium. Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who joined the Paris march, said the protests would become weekly and that President Emmanuel Macron must tackle the country's social problems or face "the exit door".
At a rally in Georgia, US President Donald Trump said France was "burning down" because it opened its borders, and that the US would not let such people in.