Police fire tear gas in Paris, Marseille and Lyon

French police used tear gas and batons to try to drive protesters from the streets in Paris, Marseille and Lyon on Saturday, as unsanctioned marches and traffic blockades accompanied the authorised rallies.

In Paris, officers fired tear gas at crowds assembled on the Place de la République an hour and a half before the authorised march was due to begin, scattering demonstrators. Footage posted by the CLPRESS news agency showed riot police chasing demonstrators and striking several people after they had been knocked to the pavement.

• •In Marseille, protesters briefly barricaded Prado Boulevard with bins and scooters before riot police cleared them with tear gas.
• •In Lyon, police fired tear gas at dozens of young people demonstrating in the city; videos suggested officers detained demonstrators allegedly trying to block roads.
• •In Rennes, Brittany, demonstrators tried to block traffic by setting up burning barricades, the regional police prefecture said on social media.

Who demonstrated and why

Hundreds of thousands of people had been expected to demonstrate across France against the rising cost of living. The crowds brought together students, trade union members and remnants of the Yellow Vest movement.

The CGT union backed the demonstrations, calling for "higher wages and pensions, lower prices and the protection of public services that meet people's needs".

Students had staged violent protests in previous weeks over what they call "deplorable" school conditions and police brutality. University student Aude said: "We're here to protest the shameful resources given to education, and against police violence." She added: "Young people have a clear message – we just want to be educated under good conditions."

On the sidelines of the rallies, the anti-capitalist Black Blocs movement was present; the group seeks to exploit general unrest to vandalise and cause havoc.

Arrests and restrictions

French authorities detained dozens of protesters at the start of the nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, and police had arrested 166 people across France as of midday.

In Paris, the police prefecture said 40 people had been arrested as of 9:30am following stop-and-searches across the capital. It said the arrests were largely for carrying "prohibited protective gear or weapons", including a false police armband and a knife.

• •Paris protesters were not allowed to bring face masks or any other equipment to protect them from tear gas, which was confiscated at security screenings.
• •"That's a no!" a gendarme officer told a young girl after finding a face mask in her bag; physio serum used to rinse eyes was also confiscated.
• •Demonstrations had been banned across swathes of the capital ahead of the nationwide protests.

Damage and building blockades

A building hosting a tourist office was set ablaze in Lyon, according to BFMTV.

In Marseille, protesters briefly broke into the town hall, an AFP reporter said: masked protesters rammed the door with security barriers and one spray-painted an anarchist "A" symbol before police intervened. "We're taking the Bastille," one demonstrator shouted, in reference to the 1789 storming of a state prison during the French Revolution.

In western Paris, the offices of CNews were blockaded by a crowd of roughly a hundred protesters in the early hours; police detained 21 people, the prefecture said. Masked individuals blocked the building's parking lot entrance, threw projectiles and broke several windows; the building also houses Europe 1, and both networks are owned by right-wing billionaire Vincent Bolloré.

Elsewhere in the capital, BRAV-M motorised police officers carried out identity checks on a group of protesters in yellow vests outside Saint-Lazare station, according to CLPRESS videos.

Turnout so far

As of midday, roughly 32,800 people had taken part in 140 protests across the country, according to people close to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. By the same hour, police had arrested 166 people across France.