Lyon Tear Gas as 2,000 Defy Protest Ban Across France
Protesters gathered mainly in the city’s 7th arrondissement, according to local authorities. A prefecture told a French daily the crowds were “very dispersed” across the area. Fireworks mortars were reportedly fired at officers, who responded with tear gas.
Authorities had prohibited demonstrations in parts of Lyon as protests over rising living costs and conditions in the education sector swept the country. Security had already been tightened after violence at demonstrations the previous weekend.
Turnout figures diverged sharply in Marseille. The Bouches-du-Rhone prefecture estimated 17,000 participants, while the CGT trade union claimed 40,000, a local newspaper reported. In Aix-en-Provence, where rallies were banned, about 1,000 people took part in a separate demonstration.
Tensions also surfaced in Nantes, where protesters assembled in a zone where rallies were forbidden, prompting the prefecture to warn residents.
Protests went ahead despite restrictions in several cities in western France, a regional newspaper reported: about 1,000 people in Vannes, 1,200 in Lorient and 45 in Pontivy. In Brest, where demonstrations were also banned, roughly 10,000 people marched.
The demonstrations form part of a broader mobilization against rising living costs and deteriorating public services, drawing together students, high school pupils, trade unions and Yellow Vest supporters.
The new protests follow demonstrations on Oct. 17 that drew large crowds across France but were marred by violence and looting in several cities.
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