Injuries and damage
Police responded to 75 fires during Saturday's protests, while the latest ministry tally listed 24 stores broken into and looted, according to France 24. The ministry said the remainder of the night was "calm" once the clashes subsided.
"Several investigations have been opened," the ministry said, providing no further details. Its Sunday statement gave no total for injured protesters.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had reported two serious injuries among rioters late Saturday, one in Toulouse and the other in Clermont-Ferrand. According to CBS News/AP, he said the Toulouse case involved a 20-year-old man who reportedly had fingers blown off.
Nationwide turnout and police deployment
The Interior Ministry estimated that about 410,000 people attended roughly 298 protests nationwide. The General Confederation of Labour (CGT) union offered a higher estimate of around 800,000, CBS News/AP reported.
Authorities deployed around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes across France, RFI reported, an increase of about 20 percent from the previous Saturday. Nuñez said officers seized weapons before the marches, according to CBS News/AP. His list included fireworks, slingshots, metal balls, steel balls, lead pellets, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft weapons.
The previous weekend's unrest, on October 17, had resulted in 2,400 arrests nationwide and injuries to nearly 1,000 officers, Nuñez said, according to Reuters. One protester died after suffering a cardiac arrest during demonstrations in Paris. RFI reported that Paris City Hall counted 450 damaged shops that weekend, including 228 that were looted.
Separate arrest tallies in Paris
Paris police put Saturday's arrest total in the capital at 142, with 126 people taken into custody, according to RFI. Police said the trouble centered on about 500 rioters near Porte de Vincennes, at the rear of the procession.
A separate account from the Paris prosecutor's office listed 64 arrests, including six minors, and 40 people placed in police custody, CBS News/AP reported. The office said most cases involved suspected weapons offenses or suspected participation in a group preparing violence or property damage. Police also reported stopping and checking more than 3,000 people.
Education demands and the next protests
The unrest began more than a month ago with high school students demanding additional teachers and funding. It has challenged President Emmanuel Macron's authority in the closing months of his presidency. Macron is approaching his two-term limit, and voters will choose his successor in May.
By late October, the government had announced plans for 3,000 additional substitute teachers and an online consultation, Al Jazeera reported. The 2027 budget allocates another 1.1 billion euros to national education, while student organizations and unions are demanding an additional 10 billion euros for education and 250,000 more university places.
The Yellow Vests protest group has announced another round of demonstrations for October 31, according to CBS News/AP. Its call includes rallies and a sit-in outside parliament and city halls across the country.
