France protests: Why are half a million people on the streets in the country?

Anti-government protests have moved beyond Paris and spread across France, with more than 500,000 demonstrators hitting the streets. Of them, 110,000 were in the capital city, according to interior minister Laurent Nunez. Other places where protests took place over the weekend included Rennes, Lyon, and Marseilles.

The protests follow massive student-led rallies in parts of France last month, which were held over poor school infrastructure, lack of teaching staff, and other issues in the education system. The protests have since transformed into a broader and multi-coalition movement against rising cost of living and alleged government inaction.

Looting and fires in cities

In Paris, groups of young people looted stores and ignited fires as the protest ended, prompting police to respond with tear gas and baton charges in the streets of the capital. In the city of Lyon, the tourist office was set ablaze and shops were damaged, the BBC reported. Dozens of shops were looted in Paris and other cities, according to the news agency AFP.

Macron vows action

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence that unfolded during the protests. Late on Saturday, he warned that "those who have broken, attacked (police) prefectures, as well as businesses, looted even our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished."

'Two worlds, two realities'

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing La France Insoumise Party, stressed that a majority of protesters had raised their demands peacefully. "While news channels are flooded with images of violence in dozens of cities, everything is unfolding peacefully with tens of thousands of people calmly mobilized. Two worlds, two realities," Mélenchon said in an X post. He also accused the French leadership of "playing with fire" by allowing the situation to fester.

Over 1,000 people arrested

French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said 1,200 people had been arrested across France amid surging criticism over the authorities' crackdown on protesters. In recent weeks, several protesters, including teenagers, have suffered serious injuries amid police action on demonstrators in cities across France.

Protests spill over

Earlier, high school students in France had carried out protests to demand increased spending on teachers, better school conditions, reduced class sizes, and an end to police violence against the youth. The French Education Minister Edouard Geffray has met with the student protesters several times, but an agreement has not been reached as yet.

France's General Confederation of Labour (CGT) has called for a continuation of the protests in the coming days, culminating in a "great inter-union day of strike" on Nov. 5. Similar protests have also taken place in other countries across Europe -- including Belgium, Italy, and Portugal.