On Oct. 31 local time France held the third nationwide large-scale protest in
three weeks. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police carried out about
40,000 security checks and arrested 422 people. Nunez said marches largely
proceeded smoothly but that each procession included individuals who committed
vandalism and looting, and clashes erupted in some areas as demonstrations wound
down. The interior ministry put turnout at roughly 320,000 nationwide; student
unions estimated nearly 500,000 participants, including about 200,000 in Paris.
The government had classified the protests as "high risk" and deployed roughly
70,000 police and gendarmes nationwide.
