Toulouse: an injury with unexplained circumstances

A demonstrator sustained a serious hand injury during clashes with law enforcement at the end of the demonstrations in Toulouse, prefectural authorities told AFP. The Haute-Garonne prefecture said the circumstances around the injury are not yet known.

An anonymous medic described a severe injury to the protester's right hand, with several fingers torn off, allegedly after a device exploded nearby.

The turnout figures for the Toulouse march depend on who is counting:

• •26,500 participants, according to local authorities
• •80,000, according to the CGT trade union

Clashes and tear gas were reported in Toulouse as well as in Lyon, Lille and Nantes, with some 70,000 police officers deployed across France for the marches by Yellow Vests, trade unions and students.

Paris: police count 110,000 at march

Paris prefectural police confirmed at least 110,000 marchers and said the "situation remains calm". Prefectural police also said water cannons and tear gas were used to disperse the demonstration.

Police said more than 3,000 people were stopped and checked by officers and 65 people were arrested during the Paris demonstration.

Clashes elsewhere in France

Several cities saw confrontation between marchers and security forces:

• •In Lyon, nearly 10,000 people marched despite a ban on gatherings in the city centre, according to Rhone prefectural authorities as of 4.30pm. Police used mobile tactics and at times tear gas to stop marches reaching the Presqu'île shopping district, where shops were looted and the tourist office was set on fire on October 17. Armoured "Centaure" vehicles were deployed.
• •In Nantes, several thousand protesters set off from the Île de Nantes, crossed the Loire by a different bridge and entered the banned city centre, where police used water cannon, tear gas, stun grenades and a physical charge.
• •In Dijon, the National Gendarmerie reported protesters aiming fireworks at law enforcement.

The Rhone prefecture said the Lyon demonstrators moved "in a very erratic manner, without any clearly defined objective".

Nationwide, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police had arrested 135 people and seized various weapons, adding that "there has been no major incident" so far. The seized items, according to Nunez, included metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft weapons.

Political reactions and next date

Nunez had warned before the protests: "We will not tolerate any violence or any disturbance of public order."

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, marching at the Porte d'Italie in Paris, urged President Emmanuel Macron to "give in" to the demands of the mobilisation, warning "after this, the only thing left for him will be the exit door". He called on the executive to "stop the provocations" and praised the "massive response" of demonstrators as "magnificent in its collective discipline and self-control". Of the weeks ahead, he said: "He will come to realise that this is going to happen every single week."

Saturday was also the day of the National Rally congress in Orléans, where Jordan Bardella was re-elected unopposed as the party's president with 98.98% of the vote. The Orléans prefecture reported 11,000 protesters against the congress by noon. Addressing several thousand party members, Bardella said: "To lead Marine to the Élysée, I will need you."

Saturday's protests against the cost of living and rising fuel prices were called by the Yellow Vest movement and joined by trade unions and students; the movement has called new protests for October 31. Bardella is set to speak at the Zénith d'Orléans on Sunday, followed by an address from Marine Le Pen, a candidate in the 2027 French presidential election.