At least 146,000 people took part in nationwide demonstrations across France on Saturday, according to the Interior Ministry, as protests over the rising cost of living, education and working conditions continued for a fourth consecutive weekend.

Protest organizers, including labor unions and student organizations, put the nationwide turnout at approximately 250,000, compared with between 320,000 and 500,000 participants at demonstrations the previous Saturday.

The latest rallies were marked by clashes and unrest in several major cities, including Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and Strasbourg. Although the march in Paris initially proceeded peacefully, tensions escalated in the evening, with police deploying tear gas as fires broke out in several locations.

By 7 p.m., authorities had arrested 360 people nationwide and conducted nearly 40,000 preventive identity checks, particularly at railway stations, according to the Interior Ministry.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had announced the deployment of approximately 70,000 police officers and security personnel, alongside armored vehicles and water cannons, warning that authorities would take a tough stance against rioters and looters.

In Paris, police said a group of approximately 200 individuals attacked security forces after the authorized demonstration ended. The clashes reportedly erupted following the arrest of a man accused of setting a rubbish bin on fire.

The Paris police prefecture reported 15 arrests and more than 5,800 identity checks in the capital, estimating the number of demonstrators at 46,000.

In Bordeaux, isolated groups also attacked security personnel with projectiles, according to local authorities. A curfew for unaccompanied minors was imposed from 8 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday.

In Lyon, police used tear gas to disperse several hundred people who had gathered for an unauthorized demonstration and blocked a road in the city center, local media reported.

Separately, French media reported that two coordinators of the Yellow Vest movement were arrested in Paris after organizing an unauthorized rally at Place de la Concorde.

Despite the ban, demonstrators gathered at the central square following calls by the movement to stage a protest.

Meanwhile, the labor unions' march in the capital had received official authorization. Participants gathered at Place de la République around midday, where television footage showed demonstrators singing, dancing and playing music before setting off.

The protests, now in their fourth consecutive Saturday, have focused on the rising cost of living, inadequate public services and mounting concerns over the education system.

The Yellow Vest movement, which first emerged in 2018 over fuel taxes and broader economic grievances, has joined the renewed wave of demonstrations, demanding government action on purchasing power and social inequality.

Meanwhile, education-sector unions have called for a nationwide strike and demonstrations on Tuesday, arguing that the government's proposed measures, including additional recruitment, are insufficient to address the sector's problems.

Student organizations have also vowed to maintain pressure on the government.

Manon Moret, secretary-general of the student union Unef, said young people remained determined and angry over the situation.

The latest demonstrations followed a major nationwide strike on Thursday, which drew approximately 575,000 participants according to the Interior Ministry, while the CGT labor federation estimated the turnout at nearly 1.6 million.

The unions are demanding higher minimum wages, across-the-board salary increases, tax reforms and improved conditions for students and young workers.

In response to the growing wave of protests, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is scheduled to meet labor unions, employer organizations and representatives of high school and university students on Monday for discussions aimed at addressing mounting social discontent.

The government, however, faces limited room for concessions as France grapples with mounting public debt and pressure to rein in government spending.

The demonstrations are also unfolding against the backdrop of France's approaching 2027 presidential election, with President Emmanuel Macron unable to seek another consecutive term.

Opinion polls have placed the far-right National Rally among the leading contenders to succeed Macron, adding to concerns over the country's political direction amid growing social and economic discontent.

Meanwhile, hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon addressed approximately 20,000 supporters at a rally outside Paris on Saturday, declaring that his political movement would win the upcoming presidential contest.

The continuing demonstrations, meanwhile, have intensified pressure on Lecornu's government to respond to demands over wages, living standards, education funding and public services. (ILKHA)