Paris, Nov 7. (dpa/GNA) – Protestors from French trade unions, youth organizations and the Yellow Vest movement, were taking part in nationwide mass demonstrations on Saturday, the fourth consecutive weekend of protests in France.
Sources within the French Ministry of the Interior, stated that there had been a significant fall in the number of demonstrators, compared with previous weekends.
At 2 pm (1300 GMT), before the main protest marches set off, there were some 7,000 people. Eighteen people were arrested and more than 15,600 preventive checks were carried out.
The situation across the country was described as “generally calm and under control.”
At the central Place de la République in Paris, from where the authorized march set off in the early afternoon, French television channels showed people playing music, singing and dancing.
The young people remain “determined and angry”, Manon Moret, general secretary of the student union UNEF, said at the scene. She added that the government had not responded to their demands.
Further protests are already planned for Tuesday. Earlier in the week, there were blockades and protest actions, as well as a nationwide strike on Thursday, in which more than half a million people participated, according to the Interior Ministry.
The CGT trade union confederation put the figure at nearly 1.6 million. As on the previous weekends, some 70,000 officers have been deployed this weekend, along with armoured vehicles and water cannon.
French Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, said there had been renewed calls on social media for violence against police officers, public buildings and shops.
He announced that he would take tough action against rioters and looters.
The protests began with student demonstrations, calling for improvements to the education system.
Over recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have joined them, with the main grievances including rising prices, low wages and inadequate social benefits.
In response to the mass protests, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced that a conference with trade unions and employer associations will be held on Monday, to discuss purchasing power and wages.
The government has indicated that it intends to raise the minimum wage. It has also promised additional staff and increased funding for schools.
GNA