French Ministry of the Interior: 15,000 protesters at the “Act 3” of the social mobilization

The third wave of social protests in France mobilized 15,000 people on Saturday in 65 actions, by 13:00 GMT, the French Interior Ministry announced. The situation was described as “generally calm” throughout the country, with no notable incidents reported.

Participation was significantly lower than in the previous two mobilizations. On October 24, authorities counted 37,000 participants in 108 actions, while on October 17, 67,000 people were recorded at 198 demonstrations. By the same time, police had made 27 arrests, compared with 217 a week earlier.

In Paris, representatives of student and pupil organizations protested the ban on the proposed route for Saturday’s demonstration. Sabrine Kharbach, spokesperson for the Union of Students of France (Union des etudiants de France), announced the blocking of high schools and universities on Tuesday and Thursday, followed by participation in the trade union demonstration on November 5.

Students and pupils are calling for decent learning conditions and a national plan for school and university infrastructure, rejecting accusations that their demands concern luxury benefits.