Police say 110,000 people march in Paris as protest ends with tear gas and water cannon

Nationwide demonstrations over living costs and school staffing shortages have triggered heavy police deployments, dozen-person arrests, business closures, and security clashes across major French cities.

• •Paris police estimated turnout at 110,000 for Saturday's protest march over school funding and living costs.
• •The Paris prosecutor’s office reported 64 arrests and 40 people placed in police custody, including six minors, mostly for suspected weapons offenses or preparation for violence.
• •Police used tear gas and water cannons in multiple cities including Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg, Nice, Nantes, and Marseille.
• •Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez deployed up to 70,000 officers nationwide, backed by helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons.
• •Authorities restricted the Paris march route to the city's southeastern edge, running from Porte d’Italie to Porte de Vincennes.
• •Public middle and high schools lost 15.4 million teaching hours (7.5% of scheduled time) in the 2024-25 school year due to unreplaced absent teachers.
• •French energy prices rose 21.3% in September compared to a year earlier, driving overall inflation to 3.1% according to INSEE.
• •President Emmanuel Macron met with high school representatives who said he promised to overhaul university admissions.
• •Yellow vest organizers called for another day of protests on Oct. 31.
• •Police issued 135-euro ($150) fines to individuals refusing to leave the original starting point at Bastille after the route was changed.
• •Major Paris museums including the Louvre, Orsay Museum, Picasso Museum, and Grand Palais were shuttered on Saturday.
• •Art Basel cancelled its weekend program due to the threat of unrest following the vandalism and looting of some 3,000 shops the previous weekend.
• •Student groups are demanding 250,000 more higher education places, the elimination of Parcoursup, more teachers, school repairs, an extra 200 euros ($224) a month in student grants, and a public student housing rent freeze.