Tens of thousands of people marched in French cities on Saturday, November 23, in protest against the high price and a plan for additional legal protection from the police.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, about 106,000 people took to the streets across the country, including 24,000 in Paris. The student unions estimate the number of demonstrators at 200,000, including almost 100,000 in the capital.
The protests were largely peaceful, but police fired tear gas in Paris, Bordeaux and Nantes, Reuters reported. In Lyon, according to local authorities, the police intervened to protect a group of television journalists who were attacked by protesters.
France has been experiencing the blockade of high schools and mass demonstrations for more than a month. In Paris, students, labor unions and yellow vest activists demonstrated for the fifth consecutive Saturday. Some demanded the president's resignation and a group carried a giant doll with the inscription "Lord Macron".
The demonstrators said above all about a plan in parliament that put the discount on the legitimate protection of the police. Supporters of the plan, including Marine Le Pen's party, argue that the law prevents officers from automatically being suspected of disproportionate use of force. Activists call it a "license to kill" because it makes it difficult to open investigations.
Macron's popularity has hit its lowest level since 2017, and the government has little time to respond to protesters over debt relief efforts.
The labor unions called for a new strike for Tuesday, November 26. They called the government's promise to raise the minimum wage by 0.6% "small bread".