Madar (International) - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across France on Saturday, November 7, 2026, for a fourth consecutive weekend of protests against the rising cost of living, Al Jazeera English reported, citing AFP.
The French interior ministry said about 146,000 people rallied nationwide, including 46,000 in Paris, while unions put the figure at 250,000, with 75,000 in the capital. Days earlier, about 575,000 people had joined a rally organised by trade unions.
Some 70,000 security personnel were deployed across the country, and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the authorities would be "ready and waiting" for anyone involved in rioting or looting.
Despite a lower turnout than in previous weeks, clashes broke out in Paris, where police used tear gas. Police said about 200 people attacked officers who were arresting a man who had set fire to a rubbish bin in a Paris square. In Lyon, police used tear gas on several hundred people blocking a road at an unauthorised gathering. No overall arrest figure was released.
The protests began in September over poor conditions and a lack of resources in high schools before broadening to worsening living standards. The movement remains student-led but draws people of all ages, joined by workers from many sectors.
The protests come ahead of the presidential election due in April, in which polls put National Rally leader Marine Le Pen in first place, followed by France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who unveiled his programme to about 17,000 supporters on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera.
