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The French Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that 410,000 people participated across the country in the "Yellow Vests" protests, which received support from unions and students.
This came in a statement published by the Interior Ministry regarding the demonstrations witnessed in the capital, Paris, and several French cities on Saturday, amid tight security measures and a partial curfew, following the violence that accompanied the October 17 protests.
The Paris Police Prefecture's decision to change the route designated by the unions and move the demonstration away from the city center sparked angry reactions, while more than 100,000 people participated in the capital's protests.
While the Interior Ministry estimated the number of participants nationwide at 410,000, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) said that about 800,000 people participated in the protests, including 250,000 in Paris.
For his part, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that the number of detainees nationwide had risen to 135 people as of 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT).
In the city of Lyon, about 200 young people gathered near Jean Moulin University Lyon 3, despite the local authorities' decision to ban protests in the area, which prompted the police to use tear gas to disperse them.
In Grenoble, a group of protesters attempted to block the A480 highway, causing a traffic accident that resulted in two people sustaining minor injuries.
In the city of Nantes, sporadic clashes broke out between police and thousands of protesters, and security forces used water cannons and pepper spray to disperse protesters who threw paving stones.
The events in Nantes resulted in two injuries, while a shop was subjected to an attempted looting and police arrested 6 people.
The "Yellow Vests" movement called in a statement for the French to take to the streets again across the country next Saturday.
The statement called on citizens to defend their freedoms "in the face of authoritarian practices," announcing the organization of sit-ins in front of the National Assembly (the first chamber of parliament) and French municipalities.
France witnessed protests on October 17, organized by the "Yellow Vests" movement, which also enjoys the support of students, in rejection of the rising cost of living and fuel prices.
The protests resulted in the arrest of about 2,700 people and the injury of more than a thousand police, gendarmerie, and firefighters, while about 3,000 shops were damaged or looted.
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