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Nearly 1,000 Arrested as Protests Rock France

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Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested following another day of mass protests across France, with clashes between demonstrators and security forces reported in several cities.

The protests on Saturday attracted an estimated 410,000 participants, according to the Interior Ministry, while trade unions put the turnout at about 800,000.

The demonstrations, driven by anger over the rising cost of living and poor school conditions, remained largely peaceful during the day before violence erupted in parts of the country later in the evening.

Police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds in cities including Paris and Lyon, while barricades were set ablaze in Marseille and protesters reportedly removed boards from buildings to construct street barricades in Bordeaux.

Despite the clashes, authorities avoided the widespread rioting and looting that followed demonstrations the previous weekend, when more than 2,500 people were arrested and thousands of businesses were affected.

The French government deployed approximately 70,000 police officers to maintain order, while restrictions were imposed in several cities to prevent further violence.

President Emmanuel Macron had earlier announced that only demonstrations organised by recognised trade unions would be permitted. Hundreds of people have also been jailed following expedited court proceedings over alleged vandalism, arson and looting.

In Paris, clashes broke out after a march from Porte d'Italie towards Porte de Vincennes. Police confronted groups of masked youths accused of smashing the windows of a car dealership and throwing projectiles at officers.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said several thousand radical activists had gathered towards the rear of the march, including about 500 people identified as potential rioters, according to AFP.

In Marseille, protesters set rubbish bins ablaze and used metal sheets to block roads, while police deployed tear gas in Lyon to disperse a crowd gathered in an area where demonstrations had been prohibited.

Nuñez said two people had sustained serious injuries, one in Toulouse in southwestern France and the other in Clermont-Ferrand in the country's central region.

Demonstrators interviewed by the BBC said frustration over poverty, taxation, living costs and alleged police violence had fuelled the protests.

One 26-year-old protester in Paris, identified as Zelie, said many citizens felt increasingly frustrated by their economic circumstances and believed their concerns were being ignored by the government.

Two teenage demonstrators also expressed disappointment with the authorities, arguing that young people felt abandoned. One condemned looting but linked the unrest to poverty and what he described as police violence.

Meanwhile, about 13,000 people attended a peaceful rally against the hard-right National Rally party in Orléans.

Similar demonstrations and unrest were reported elsewhere in Europe. More than 100 people were arrested in Barcelona, Spain, after a student protest descended into violence, while riot police in Albania's capital, Tirana, used tear gas against anti-government demonstrators. Clashes were also reported in Brussels, Belgium.

In Milan, Italy, a major security operation involving police and hundreds of soldiers prevented protesters from gathering amid fears of a repeat of the previous week's violence.

Last weekend's demonstrations drew approximately 550,000 people across France, with anger over rising fuel prices and living costs compounded by weeks of student protests. The ensuing unrest resulted in more than 2,500 arrests and damage to more than 2,000 shops and businesses.

France's Chambers of Commerce and Industry estimated the damage at hundreds of millions of euros. Reports also indicated that about 1,000 police officers were injured during the previous week's disorder.

The continuing unrest comes six months before France's presidential election, with leading political contenders blaming Macron and his government for the worsening tensions.

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