The key facts
- On November 5, nationwide protests took place in France; 642 people were detained
- In total, more than 250 thousand people from dozens of cities are taking part in the actions
- The CGT trade union demands wage increases and measures against the rising cost of living
The number of detentions grew almost one and a half times in a single day
In France, 642 people were detained during nationwide protests held on November 5. These figures from the country's Interior Ministry are cited by Le Figaro. The figure rose noticeably in a short period: the previous evening, when most of the street actions had already ended, the ministry had reported 448 detentions. Thus, the final figure turned out to be almost one and a half times higher than the preliminary estimate.
Where the clashes took place
According to the Interior Ministry, reports of clashes between aggressively minded protesters and police came from Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse and Paris.
The scale and demands of the union
The protests in France continue, with more than 250 thousand people from dozens of cities taking part. Before the start of the march in Paris, the general secretary of the trade union 'General Confederation of Labour' Sophie Binet demanded an increase in 'all wages', measures against the high cost of living, as well as resources for public services.
Context: protests in other European countries
Over the past weekend, protests also took place in other European cities. In Switzerland, a march escalated into major riots and clashes with police; in Germany and France, protesters resorted to open looting. In Poland, Russia was accused of supporting the street demonstrations. Gazeta.Ru examines the causes and consequences of mass protests in Europe in a separate article. Earlier, Vladimir Putin named one of the causes of the mass protests in France.
