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From 13h ago Key events 9h ago A summary of today's developments 10h ago 320,000 attend protests in France, according to government 11h ago Police cancel march in Cologne due to masked protesters 12h ago France interior ministry says 15,000 people taking part in protests 13h ago Marches under way in Germany 13h ago Protesters begin marching in French cities 13h ago French student unions call for school and university blockade 14h ago French minister warns protesters against using Halloween costumes to hide identities 14h ago 'Narrative of violence an attempt to distract from our demands,' protest organisers say 15h ago France braces for third weekend of protests as 70,000 police deployed A summary of today's developments Turnout at the protests in France against the cost of living stood at 320,000 nationwide, the interior ministry said, lower than the 410,000 seen the previous Saturday and 550,000 on October 17 when riots erupted across the country. Crowds of people gathered in Paris for the protests, where two French student unions called for a blockade of schools and universities on Tuesday and Thursday. Demonstrations were largely peaceful through the afternoon , though police fired tear gas in Lyon, France’s third-largest city, and Toulouse in the southwest, while tension also broke out at the end of the march in Marseille, Reuters reported.
German authorities said Saturday’s demonstrations, which coincide with Halloween festivities, had been largely peaceful so far, but warned of attempts by extremist groups to exploit the movement. In Hamburg, some barricades were set on fire. Here is a collage of photos from today’s demonstrations in countries including France, Germany and Albania.
German authorities said Saturday’s demonstrations, which coincide with Halloween festivities, had been largely peaceful so far, but warned of attempts by extremist groups to exploit the movement. In Hamburg, some barricades were set on fire. “We are here today to fight for peace and freedom, rather than for war and coercion,” Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said in Berlin on Saturday.
“What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems. We are against compulsory military service and we are in favour of a fairer distribution of the burden.” 320,000 attend protests in France, according to government Turnout at the protests in France against the cost of living stood at 320,000 nationwide, the interior ministry said, lower than the 410,000 seen the previous Saturday and 550,000 on October 17 when riots erupted across the country. The nationwide protest by campaign group Gen Z regelt (Gen Z takes charge) in Cologne.
Photograph: Thilo Schmülgen/Reuters People use flares during a nationwide protest by campaign group Gen Z regelt against underfunding of schools, cuts to education, social services, culture and healthcare, rising living costs, and military conscription, in Cologne, Germany. Photograph: Thilo Schmülgen/Reuters Demonstrations were largely peaceful through the afternoon, though police fired tear gas in Lyon, France’s third-largest city, and Toulouse in the southwest, while tension also broke out at the end of the march in Marseille, Reuters reported. Police cancel march in Cologne due to masked protesters Police in the German city of Cologne have called off the march organised by Gen Z regelt due to some protesters wearing masks and throwing smoke bombs.
“The demonstration will continue as a stationary rally,” a police spokesperson told German DPA news agency. Protesters light flares and smoke bombs as riot police move in during a demonstration in Cologne. Photograph: Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images Some images on the newswires of protesters dressed for Halloween: A protester in Paris holds a placard bearing the slogan ‘ACAB’, an acronym for ‘All cops are bastards’, during a demonstration.
Photograph: Raphaël Lafargue/ABACA/Shutterstock Protesters taking part in a nationwide demonstrations over the rising cost of living and inequality in Paris. Photograph: Raphaël Lafargue/ABACA/Shutterstock Protesters dressed up for Halloween in Paris. Photograph: Raphaël Lafargue/ABACA/Shutterstock A protester with a mask of Batman holds a Palestinian flag during a demonstration organised by GenZ regelt in Frankfurt.
Photograph: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images A protester Berlin holds a sign that reads 'Education instead of a circus'. Photograph: Halil Sağırkaya/Anadolu/Getty Images The demonstrations in France and Germany have so far passed without incident, although not everyone is happy with how it’s going. “We expected it to be different,” one Berliner dressed in a black ski mask and hoody told Die Welt.
Police officers at Place de la Bastille in Paris, where protest organisers had originally planned to begin the march before authorities banned the route and ordered it to start at Porte de Bagnolet, on the eastern edge of the capital: Photograph: Nicolas Economou/Reuters AP is reporting from the ground in Paris: double quotation mark A few Halloween costumes stood out in the crowd, including a zombie Michael Jackson from “Thriller,” a pirate and a Spider-Man. Protesters waited calmly, chanting and singing through megaphones. Corentin Cabreux, a 21-year-old student, said he lives in a state-run student residence where “there are damp stains all along the bottom of my walls, whole sections peeling off, cockroaches everywhere, rats.” He said he hoped Saturday’s protest would be festive in honor of Halloween, to counter the image of violence that has attached itself to France’s protests.
People in Halloween costumes attend protests over living costs and education in Paris. Photograph: Teresa Suárez/AP France interior ministry says 15,000 people taking part in protests The French interior ministry said about 15,000 people were taking part in demonstrations across the country , adding that the situation remained “generally calm”. The protests were unfolding “without any notable incidents”, the ministry added.
Police had made 27 arrests by 2pm local time, AFP reported. Police and protesters face each other during protests over living costs and education in Paris. Photograph: Emma Da Silva/AP So far, police in Germany have reported 2,700 protesters in Berlin , with 1,800 people participating in Munich , and about 1,000 in Frankfurt.
Police in Cologne have not provided figures but said it was “significantly” lower than the 15,000 registered by organisers, according to the German newspaper Die Welt. Protesters attend a demonstration organised by ‘GenZ regelt’ in Cologne. Photograph: Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images Marches under way in Germany Demonstrations have also begun across Germany , with marches taking place in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Dresden , among other cities: Demonstrators hold signs and shout slogans during a protest under the slogan Gen Z regelt (Gen Z is sorting it) in Berlin.
Photograph: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Protesters gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Photograph: dts News Agency Germany/Shutterstock Protesters in Berlin are demonstrating against the underfunding of schools, cuts to education, social services, culture and healthcare, rising living costs, and military conscription. Photograph: Christian Mang/Reuters Hundreds of people taking part in the protest in Hamburg.
Photograph: Jonas Walzberg/Reuters Protesters marching in Frankfurt. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
Source: The Guardian
