Mass protests in France

French police detained 181 activists across the country during protests against the government’s plans to cut social spending, according to Le Parisien.

In Paris, according to updated data, 31 protesters were detained. Twenty-two people were injured, including 11 police officers and one journalist. A total of 700 protests took place in cities across the country.

Earlier, the Interior Ministry reported that more than 500,000 people took part in the demonstrations. According to estimates by the leading French trade union confederation, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), more than 1 million people took to the streets.

In Paris and other cities, including Nantes, Rennes, Lyon, and Marseille, the demonstrations turned into riots, with radical protesters vandalizing shops and bank branches.

The police detained protesters and used tear gas. To maintain order, the Ministry of Internal Affairs deployed more than 80,000 police officers and gendarmes, as well as armored vehicles and drones.