French social protests draw lower turnout in third consecutive weekend

Around 320,000 people took part in a third consecutive weekend of social protests across France on Saturday, Euronews reported, citing figures from the Interior Ministry. The government agency stated that 70,000 of those demonstrators gathered in Paris. While authorised marches proceeded peacefully according to the ministry, tensions rose during their dispersal in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other major cities. [1]

The turnout shows a drop in participation from previous weekends of action. Euronews reported that the government counted 410,000 participants across the country on 24 October and 550,000 on 17 October. In contrast, protest organisers claimed that 800,000 demonstrators had gathered on each of those earlier two days. Euronews noted that disruption to public transport could explain the lower numbers for the latest demonstrations. [1]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, previous rallies over economic grievances including pensions, housing, and public services resulted in widespread unrest. During the 24 October demonstrations, around 2,400 people were arrested across France, while nearly 1,000 security force members and 100 protesters sustained injuries. France has a history of weekly grassroots social movements, including the yellow vest protests that ran from November 2018 until June 2020. [2][4]