Fresh clashes rock France as protesters march on
Clashes erupted across France on Saturday as protesters took to the streets, a week after marches that degenerated into violence and prompted a firm security backlash from President Emmanuel Macron, who is scrambling to restore order. Police arrested nearly 1,000 people as officers faced "an extremely elevated level of violence" from black-clad "ultra-left" extremists, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. Riot police squads fired tear gas at protesters in the capital as well as in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes. Two people were "seriously" injured, Nunez said: one man in Toulouse, who reportedly had fingers blown off, and another person in Clermont-Ferrand. He did not give details of either case. Authorities had deployed 70,000 security personnel across the country for the new marches, called to protest the cost of living. The violence came a week after rioting that saw public buildings vandalised, hundreds of shops looted and 2,700 people arrested, casting a pall over the country six months before an election to choose Macron's successor. Nunez said Saturday's outcome was more "positive" than a week ago, with more police on the streets acting more rapidly, conducting more pre-demonstration checks and better protecting businesses. But there was widespread anger at the government over a protest crackdown...
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