Around 106,000 people took to the streets across France on Saturday, including 24,000 in Paris, in the fifth consecutive Saturday of nationwide protests, the interior ministry said — the lowest turnout in recent weeks. Student unions put the number at 200,000 nationwide, including almost 100,000 in the capital.

Source: France 24 with AFP

The ministry said 219 people were detained across the country, noticeably fewer than at previous mass protests, and Paris prosecutors said 45 people were arrested in the capital. Police used tear gas and charged crowds in some cities, according to Daily Mail reporting carried by other outlets, while France 24 described most rallies as largely peaceful, with some fringe violence.

Source: France 24 with AFP

What the protests are about

The movement, which has gripped France with high-school blockades and mass demonstrations for more than a month, brings together students, unions and Yellow Vest activists. Their demands range from the rising cost of living and better funding and conditions in schools to stronger protection for children and teenagers, Euronews reported.

Source: Euronews

In Paris, many gathered at Place de la Republique. Marius Mesnil, co-secretary-general of the Union Syndicale Lyceenne, told Euronews: 'We're asking to have teachers when we go to class. We're asking to not have ceilings collapsing on us when we eat in the canteen.'

Source: Euronews

The police bill at the centre of Saturday's anger

Much of Saturday's focus was a bill in parliament that would give police officers and gendarmes additional legal protection when they use firearms in the line of duty. Supporters, including Marine Le Pen's far-right party — currently leading polls for next year's presidential election — say officers should not be automatically presumed to have used excessive force. Unions and student activists call the proposal a 'licence to kill' and say it would make holding officers accountable even harder, France 24 and Euronews reported.

Source: France 24 with AFP

Last week, lawyers representing at least 18 people injured during protests in recent weeks said they would sue the interior ministry over alleged police brutality, saying the use of force had caused injuries including to hands, feet and eyes, Euronews reported. In Toulouse, a 28-year-old demonstrator, Kenza, told France 24: 'The repression of protesters is unacceptable — even more so when they are children.'

Source: Euronews

Turnout falling, pressure not over

Saturday's turnout was lower than the previous Saturday, when the interior ministry counted 146,000 people nationwide and 46,000 in Paris. The largest protests in recent weeks came during a union-led strike on Thursday, when more than half a million people took to the streets nationwide, according to official figures cited by France 24.

Source: France 24 with AFP

President Emmanuel Macron's popularity is at its lowest since he first became president in 2017, according to recent polls cited by France 24, and the government is struggling to reduce France's debt. Unions have called a new day of strike action on Tuesday, after rejecting a government promise to increase the minimum wage by 0.6 percent as 'crumbs'. Yellow Vest member Benjamin Ball told Euronews: 'The government has only given us crumbs, and we want the whole bakery.'

Source: Euronews