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 weekend.
asserted
that → arrest → protests
Authorities deployed 70,000 security forces across the country as nationwide marches were held against the cost of living.
asserted
marches → deploy → living
“There 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 order.”
asserted
We → say → order
Protesters’ anger has been stirred further by President Emmanuel Macron’s government banning non-union-led demonstrations.
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anger → stir → demonstrations
Several groups slammed what they called an attack on the right to protest.
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they → slam → right
Macron has blamed “ultra-left” groups wanting to “bring down the republic” for the worst of last weekend’s violence, when public buildings were vandalized and hundreds of shops looted.
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hundreds → blame → shops
Police quick to react
After being caught flat-footed by that unrest, police this time had armoured vehicles, helicopters and water cannon ready to respond to the slightest provocation.
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vehicles → react → provocation
They come and disperse marches before they even form,” said a 21-year-old student in Lyon, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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student → come → anonymity
Police in Lyon fired tear gas to disperse about 150 protesters near the city center who had tried to block a road, an AFP journalist saw.
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journalist → fire → road
Nunez said 135 people had been arrested as of midday Saturday.
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people → say → midday
He added that weapons including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana sword and airsoft weapons had been confiscated.
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weapons → add → balls
“These seizures clearly demonstrate the determination of certain far-left and radical left-wing groups to turn a number of demonstrations violent,” he said.
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he → demonstrate → demonstrations
The minister spoke as the main march in Paris started.
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march → speak → Paris
Police at the last minute changed the route from central Paris to the southern rim of the capital.
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Police → change → capital
Murielle Guilbert of the Syndicale Solidaires union said it had been “outrageous” to ban non-union protests.
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it → say → protests
“We’re here because there is obvious public anger” over low salaries, she said.
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she → ’re → salaries
The march started in a calm and festive atmosphere.
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march → start → atmosphere
Claire, a 26-year-old nurse who did not want to give a last name, said: “Not everyone is out to smash things up.
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everyone → want → things
Some of us are simply here to say we disagree and that we just want a better future.”
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we → say → future
Another protester, Aurore, 35, said that “people need to understand that the anger is real.
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anger → say → ?
We’ve been walked all over for 10 years.”
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We → walk → years
Ynyane, a 19-year-old wearing a Dragonball Z costume, added: “Taxes are a bit too high, and I have to support people who are struggling.”
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who → wear → people
Many retailers in Paris boarded up their windows or closed, fearing a return of looters on the margins of demonstrations who stripped stores last weekend.
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who → board → stores
Some 2,700 people were arrested after last weekend’s violence, and the retail sector said shopowners were left with damage and losses totalling hundreds of millions of dollars.
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shopowners → arrest → dollars
The Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay museums were closed on Saturday for the new demonstrations.
Protest against Le Pen’s party
Adding to tensions, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party held a congress in Orleans to launch her campaign for a presidential election in six months.
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party → close → months
Thousands of people yelling anti-fascist slogans marched against Le Pen and President Emmanuel Macron, a pro-business centrist who cannot stand again.
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who → yell → Pen
“Macron resign.
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Macron → resign → ?
Le Pen in prison,” the crowd yelled.
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crowd → yell → prison
Police put their numbers at 11,000 while organizers said 26,000 took part.
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26,000 → put → part
The unrest highlighted tensions in France ahead of the vote, in which Le Pen leads in surveys.
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Pen → highlight → surveys
Inflation in France, particularly for fuel, has surged since the start of the Middle East war in February.
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Inflation → surge → February
Protests have also been taking place in Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal over different issues, yet with some overlap on inflation and education problems.
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Protests → take → inflation
Italy has mobilized 500 troops to Milan after street violence there.
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Italy → mobilize → violence
While 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 government.
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they → comply → government
The Yellow Vests, who staged disruptive protests against Macron eight years ago, called for more demonstrations on October 31 for “the freedom to protest.”
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who → stag → freedom
A shopworker in the city of Rennes told AFP: “Bans are sometimes worse.
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Bans → tell → AFP
Protesting is a right, and when you ban it you make it even more tempting.”
asserted
it → ban → it
Far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who marched in the Paris rally, said Macron “is going to understand that this is going to repeat itself every week.”
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this → march → itself
The Aporia
