French protests: Arrests numbers pile on as authorities brace for renewed violence

French police arrested more than 130 people and fired tear gas at some protesters on Saturday as fresh demonstrations started but the government said there were no early signs of the street violence that marred protests last weekendAuthorities deployed 70000 security forces across the country as nationwide marches were held against the cost of livingThere has been no major incident as of midday 1000 GMT Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said adding We will not tolerate any violence or any disturbance of public orderProtesters anger has been stirred further by President Emmanuel Macrons government banning nonunionled demonstrations Several groups slammed what they called an attack on the right to protestMacron has blamed ultraleft groups wanting to bring down the republic for the worst of last weekends violence when public buildings were vandalised and hundreds of shops lootedPolice quick to reactAfter being caught flatfooted by that unrest police this time had armoured vehicles helicopters and water cannon ready to respond to the slightest provocationThe police are really mobile They come and disperse marches before they even form said a 21yearold student in Lyon speaking on condition of anonymityPolice in Lyon fired tear gas to disperse about 150 protesters near the city center who had tried to block a road an AFP journalist sawNunez said 135 people had been arrested as of midday SaturdayHe added that weapons including metal balls lead pellets fireworks slingshots steel balls improvised weapons a katana sword and airsoft weapons had been confiscatedThese seizures clearly demonstrate the determination of certain farleft and radical leftwing groups to turn a number of demonstrations violent he saidThe minister spoke as the main march in Paris started Police at the last minute changed the route from central Paris to the southern rim of the capitalMurielle Guilbert of the Syndicale Solidaires union said it had been outrageous to ban nonunion protestsWere here because there is obvious public anger over low salaries she saidThe march started in a calm and festive atmosphereClaire a 26yearold nurse who did not want to give a last name said Not everyone is out to smash things up Some of us are simply here to say we disagree and that we just want a better futureBoardedup shopsAnother protester Aurore 35 said that people need to understand that the anger is real Wersquove been walked all over for 10 yearsYnyane a 19yearold wearing a Dragonball Z costume added Taxes are a bit too high and I have to support people who are strugglingMany retailers in Paris boarded up their windows or closed fearing a return of looters on the margins of demonstrations who stripped stores last weekendSome 2700 people were arrested after last weekends violence and the retail sector said shopowners were left with damage and losses totalling hundreds of millions of dollarsThe Louvre and the Musee dOrsay museums were closed on Saturday for the new demonstrationsProtest against Le Pens partyAdding to tensions Marine Le Pens farright National Rally party held a congress in Orleans to launch her campaign for a presidential election in six monthsThousands of people yelling antifascist slogans marched against Le Pen and President Emmanuel Macron a probusiness centrist who cannot stand again Macron resign Le Pen in prison the crowd yelled Police put their numbers at 11000 while organisers said 26000 took partThe unrest highlighted tensions in France ahead of the vote in which Le Pen leads in surveysInflation in France particularly for fuel has surged since the start of the Middle East war in FebruaryProtests have also been taking place in Italy Belgium Spain and Portugal over different issues yet with some overlap on inflation and education problems Italy has mobilised 500 troops to Milan after street violence thereWhile French unions reluctantly complied with orders banning marches from central Paris Marseille and other cities they and other groups decried a perceived authoritarian drift by the governmentThe Yellow Vests who staged disruptive protests against Macron eight years ago called for more demonstrations on October 31 for the freedom to protestA shopworker in the city of Rennes told AFP Bans are sometimes worse Protesting is a right and when you ban it you make it even more temptingFarleft presidential candidate JeanLuc Melenchon who marched in the Paris rally said Macron is going to understand that this is going to repeat itself every weekThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever