More than 100,000 people took to the streets across France for the fifth Saturday in a row, with protests targeting the rising cost of living and a new proposal to give police greater legal protection. Interior ministry figures put turnout at about 106,000 nationwide, including 24,000 in Paris, while student unions estimated 200,000 demonstrators overall, with nearly 100,000 in the capital, and noted it came after over a month of school blockades and mass demonstrations. In Paris, demonstrators gathered at Republic Square around 13:00 local time and then marched toward Place de la Nation, according to AKŞAM. Protesters read La Marseillaise, chanted anti-President slogans and held signs reading “Less pepper spray, more philosophy”. The centre of the day’s tension was a new bill in parliament aimed at giving officers who use weapons further protection. A 20-year-old cello player volunteering at a Paris orchestra said protesters were afraid the measure would strengthen police “impunity” after tear gas was used on musicians during an earlier protest. Backers, including the far-right party of leading presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen, argue the law, which would presume police acted in self-defence, is needed to stop officers being automatically suspected of using disproportionate force. Activists say it amounts to a “licence to kill” and would hamper investigations while making it harder to hold security forces accountable. Saturday’s rallies were largely peaceful, but fringe violence and accusations of police brutality have surfaced in recent weeks, including claims of injuries to young teenagers. Lawyers also said police violence at recent protests led to “mutilations”, including hand, foot and eye injuries. Police fired tear gas in Paris, Bordeaux and Nantes, and in Lyon officers intervened to protect a team of television reporters after protesters attacked them, local authorities said. According to РБК-Україна, clashes with police also broke out in several cities as the protests continued, and authorities detained 121 people nationwide. Police and gendarmes numbered about 70,000 to maintain public order, and in Paris work was temporarily halted at 21 metro stations. In Paris, marchers moved from Place de la Republique via Place de la Bastille to Place de la Nation, while AKŞAM said police later moved in with batons close to the end of the demonstration and used pepper spray at Place de la Nation after bottles filled with various items were thrown. Elsewhere, violence escalated: in Lyon, protesters set up a barricade on fire, while in Bordeaux demonstrators threw objects toward armored vehicles. In Marseille, police used tear gas, and AKŞAM reported that pepper spray was also used there after protesters threw stones, with police responding with high-pressure water in the Plaine district. AKŞAM also said pepper spray was used in Lyon, Nantes, Rouen and Bordeaux. In Lyon, some bins were set on fire, and a police officer struck a demonstrator who was trying to calm the situation. In Rouen, an altercation broke out between police and protesters. In Bordeaux, protesters threw objects at police. In Nantes, police tried to disperse protesters despite the law, and nine people were detained in the context of an unauthorized demonstration. The demonstrations were backed by unions and calls from the “Yellow Vests”, with protesters demanding more education funding and protection for children, and urging withdrawal of the proposed security law. France’s interior ministry said the situation in the country remained calm and under control. The Ministry of the Interior later said 219 people were detained during the Saturday demonstrations, while police said there were no major incidents so far in Paris. In Lyon, local authorities said a group of protesters attacked a news team from 24-hour information channel BFMTV, requiring police intervention to protect the journalists. A youth union said the turnout was much higher, claiming 200,000 protesters nationwide, including 100,000 in Paris, compared with 250,000 nationwide including 75,000 in the capital the previous Saturday. Updated 15 November 2026: Added Finans Gündem's report of police detaining 121 people, tear gas use in Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Rouen, Bordeaux and Marseille, water cannon in Marseille, and the protests' education and child protection demands.