🔴 Live: Tens of thousands join protests across France, clashes reported in several cities

Live: Tens of thousands join protests across France, clashes reported in several cities French police used tear gas and batons to try to drive protesters from the streets in Paris, Marseille and Lyon as demonstrators staged unsanctioned marches and tried to block traffic with impromptu barricades Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to demonstrate across France as students, trade union members and remnants of the Yellow Vest movement join forces to protest rising cost of living. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. Police confiscate face masks and other anti-tear gas gear Paris protesters are not allowed to bring face masks or any other equipment to protect them from tear gas, FRANCE 24’s Pauline Roquette reports from the demonstration in Paris. "That's a no!" a gendarme officer told a young girl when he found a face mask in her bag during a security screening on the sidelines of the protest. "The physio serum [used to rinse the eyes when tear gas is used], same thing!" 🎥 France faces day of cost-of-living protests French authorities detained dozens of protesters on Saturday at the start of nationwide demonstrations against the cost of living. FRANCE 24's Antonia Kerrigan has more from Paris. 📸 Police fire tear gas into the crowd ahead of authorised demonstration in Paris Photos: Stéphanie Lecocq and Jack Taylor, Reuters Protesters briefly break into town hall in Marseille, AFP journalist reports Protesters briefly broke into the Marseille town hall, an AFP reporter said. Masked protesters rammed the door with security barriers. Several then entered, one spray painting an anarchist "A" symbol on a wall before police intervened, the reporter said. "We're taking the Bastille," one demonstrator shouted in reference to the 1789 storming of an ancien régime state prison during the French Revolution. 🎥 Police charge protesters with batons in the streets of Paris Armed and armoured riot police chased demonstrators through the streets of Paris, striking several people after they were knocked to the pavement, footage posted online by the CLPRESS news agency showed. Police arrest 166 people across France as of midday Police had arrested 166 people across France as of midday, with people close to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez saying that roughly 32,800 people had taken part in 140 protests across the country. French police fired tear gas at protesters in Paris Police in Paris's Place de la République fired tear gas at assembled demonstrators an hour and a half before the authorised march was scheduled to begin, causing protesters to scatter. FRANCE 24 journalist Pauline Rouquette saw police searching bags and confiscating masks and saline solution, often used by demonstrators to clean their eyes after being hit with tear gas. A protester waving a blue, white, and red flag was heard saying, “Don’t disperse – we’re not going to let them screw us over with tear gas!” Photo: Pauline Rouquette, FRANCE 24 📸 Police face off against demonstrators near Paris's Gare du Nord Photos: Abdul Saboor, Reuters Paris police have arrested 40 people as of 9:30am, prefecture says Paris police have arrested 40 people following stop-and-searches carried out across the capital as of 9:30am Saturday morning, the city's police prefecture said. The arrests were largely made due to people being found carrying "prohibited protective gear or weapons", the prefecture said in a statement. The prefecture alleged that a false police armband and a knife had been among the items seized. Demonstrations were banned across swathes of the capital in the lead-up to the nationwide protests. 📸 Demonstrators light bins on fire in the streets of Marseille Photos: Thibaud Moritz, AFP Protesters blockade Paris offices of right-wing CNews network The Paris offices of right-wing news network CNews was blockaded by a crowd of roughly a hundred protesters in the early hours of the morning, the capital’s police prefecture said, adding that police had detained 21 people. A group of “masked individuals” blocked the entrance to the parking lot of the building in western Paris, which is also home to the Europe 1 network. Protesters reportedly threw projectiles and broke several windows. Both networks are owned by right-wing billionaire Vincent Bolloré. 📸 Police fire tear gas at protesters in Marseille In the port city of Marseille in southern France, Prado Boulevard was briefly barricaded by protesters with bins and scooters before riot police drove them from the streets with tear gas. "We're here to protest the shameful resources given to education, and against police violence," said university student Aude, who was wearing a mask over her face. "Young people have a clear message – we just want to be educated under good conditions," she added. Photos: Thibaud Moritz, AFP Riot police carry out identity checks on Yellow Vest protesters outside Paris's Saint-Lazare station Officers belonging to the BRAV-M motorised police brigade seem to checking the identities of a group of protesters in yellow vests at Saint-Lazare station in central Paris, according to videos posted online by CLPRESS news agency. Demonstrators block traffic in Rennes with burning barricades, police say A group of demonstrators have tried to block traffic by setting up burning barricades in the city of Rennes in Britanny, the regional police prefecture said on social media. Law enforcement officers are being deployed to the site. Police fire tear gas at young people gathering in Lyon Police have begun to launch tear gas against dozens of young people demonstrating in the southeast city of Lyon. Videos shared by local media seemed to show police detaining demonstrators who had allegedly been trying to block the city's roads. Who are France's Yellow Vests? Saturday's planned demonstrations were not initially linked to the original Yellow Vest movement, which began in 2018 with widespread protests over rising fuel prices before growing into a broader revolt against economic inequality that drew tens of thousands onto the streets. The movement takes its name from the fluorescent yellow high-visibility vests that French law requires drivers to carry in their vehicles and which protesters wore during demonstrations. Read more about how this movement is looking to add its strength to the student-led protests by clicking on the link below. French government re-authorises police use of stun grenades against protesters Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told France 2 that police officers could use stun grenades in case of "extremely serious urban violence". He had suspended their use during the student protests after one stun grenade fired by police blew off the hand of a 15-year-old. Police ban march through heart of Paris on eve of protests Organisers of Saturday's demonstrations have set up a website showing more than 600 demonstrations planned across France. Paris police chief Patrice Faure banned demonstrations around the Élysée presidential palace, the prime minister's office and the Champs-Élysée shopping avenue, among other key locations. Police also banned a major march through the heart of the capital and negotiations with organisers over an alternative route failed to reach agreement. The main Paris demonstration was to start at 2pm (12:00 GMT) at Place de la République and head to northern Paris. Macron calls for calm ahead of nationwide demonstrations French President Emmanuel Macron called for calm on the eve of nationwide cost-of-living protests Saturday as students, trade unionists and remnants of the Yellow Vest movement join forces to protest the country's fraying social model. Speaking from Brussels, Macron called "for calm and respect", adding that the right to protest went hand in hand with "respect for people and property". "We're expecting a pretty big turnout," Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told France 2 television. A police source told AFP that authorities estimated nearly 200,000 people could take part, with 40,000 in Paris. (FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters) Keywords for this article