From Yellow Vests to Students, Fresh Nationwide Protests Shake France

A major day of protest swept across France on Saturday, with around 90 demonstrations and nearly 500 separate actions recorded nationwide, according to the Interior Ministry. Unions, student movements, and Yellow Vest activists joined forces to denounce rising living costs and fuel prices, in what several observers described as one of the most tense days of unrest in years.

In Paris, police used tear gas and charged crowds on several occasions, while protesters threw fireworks toward them. In Marseille, an Agence France-Presse photographer witnessed damage to a police building. Arrests were reported in the capital as the gatherings got underway.

Beyond the major cities, the mobilization took the form of roundabout blockades and gatherings outside gas stations and oil depots, a tactic that directly echoes the Yellow Vest movement that first emerged in late 2018. The renewed unrest comes just weeks after student protests had already heavily disrupted the start of the school year.

This account draws on reporting by the BBC.