France: 146,000 Protest Against High Cost of Living Amid High Security Alert and Hundreds of Arrests

New demonstrations took place across France on Saturday, November 7, under the banner "For Youth and Against the High Cost of Living," marking the fourth consecutive Saturday of social mobilization since October 17. The Ministry of the Interior reported a nationwide turnout of 146,000 protesters, including 46,000 in Paris. Meanwhile, the joint youth trade union coalition (which includes student and school organizations such as Unef, Fage, Union étudiante, and USL) estimated participation at approximately 250,000 people, with 75,000 in the capital.

Security Alert and Widespread Searches in Public Transport

The demonstrations coincided with a massive security deployment aimed at containing movements and securing vital infrastructure. Authorities mobilized around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes, backed by 25 Centaure armored vehicles and 15 water cannon trucks. According to a provisional national toll released by the Ministry of the Interior, 360 arrests had been carried out by 7:00 p.m., while nearly 40,000 individuals were subjected to preventive security checks and searches at transit stations and along key road axes leading to city centers, pursuant to instructions from Minister of the Interior Laurent Nuñez—a measure that impacted commuter and resident travel.

Protest Routes and Demonstrations' Atmosphere

In Paris, the joint procession organized by youth organizations and regional trade union federations (CGT, FO, FSU, Solidaires, and CFDT) marched from Place de la République toward Place de la Nation in a generally calm atmosphere. Participants, including retirees, bus drivers, and parents, voiced grievances over diminishing purchasing power, economic strain, and escalating daily hardships.

Conversely, groups affiliated with the Yellow Vests movement attempted to gather at Place de la Concorde despite a prefectural ban on demonstrations in the area, prompting riot police (CRS) to cordon off dozens of individuals and detain one of the movement's leaders near the National Assembly. In Marseille, the mobilization took on a festive character, with thousands of participants relying on music and art to put forward their social demands and express solidarity with students and demonstrators protesting the surging cost of living.

A Decisive Week: Social Conference and an Upcoming Strike

These grassroots movements come ahead of critical junctures, most notably the social conference scheduled for Monday morning, November 9, at the Prime Minister's official residence (Hôtel de Matignon) with trade unions and employer organizations, followed by meetings dedicated to student representatives. Escalating the pressure, a joint union front that includes education unions such as Snes-FSU has called for a day of strikes and renewed demonstrations across schools and universities on Tuesday, November 10, to continue pressing the government on wages and the improvement of study and working conditions.