Mass protests sweep France despite police bans and rain

In response to a planned nationwide protest, the Macron administration announced a heavy police presence, declared only union-organized rallies as legal, and set up “restricted zones” in Paris, such as the Bastille and République squares. Nevertheless, large numbers of citizens took to the streets across the country on Saturday, marching in cities including Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille despite rain. The demonstration proceeded largely peacefully, though smaller incidents occurred in the aforementioned cities, leading authorities to record dozens of arrests and damage to a handful of shops.

The interior ministry reported figures roughly half of those claimed by the CGT, while a report described the Paris march as massive, rainy yet overall jubilant. Political figures from the Socialist Party and the centre-right Horizons group voiced differing opinions on the protests and the demands of participants.