Youth-led protests over living costs and schools draw 320,000 in France and spread to Germany and Portugal

What happened

Hundreds of thousands of protesters, many of them young, marched across France on Saturday, Oct. 31. It was the third weekend in a row of demonstrations focused on living costs and education, according to the Associated Press, as published by PBS NewsHour, and NPR. France's government put nationwide turnout at 320,000.

The French marches were mostly peaceful, with some participants in Halloween costumes, but gatherings in Paris and other cities ended with tear gas and small fires set by groups on the margins, the AP reported. About 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed nationwide after Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a "very high risk" of disorder, especially after dark on Halloween.

How the French movement started

High school students began the rallies last month, protesting neglected buildings, teacher shortages and a university admissions system seen as unfair to disadvantaged students, both outlets reported. Labor unions and others angry at President Emmanuel Macron then joined with a range of their own demands.

In the main Paris march, separate banners identified high school students, climate activists and people upset about the cost of living. Corentin Cabreux, a 21-year-old student, described his state-run student residence as having damp stains, peeling walls, "cockroaches everywhere, rats," according to both outlets.

Turnout and arrests

Saturday's turnout was smaller than on earlier weekends. Government estimates cited by PBS put the Oct. 17 protests, which turned into some of France's worst rioting in years, at 550,000 people, while NPR reported that figure as more than 500,000. Both said the Oct. 24 demonstrations drew 410,000, and both noted that organizers' estimates are higher.

Arrest counts differed depending on when they were reported. NPR reported about 300 arrests nationwide at the time, down from 800 at the same point the week before, while PBS reported more than 560 arrests by Saturday night. Police had arrested thousands of people after riots and looting on the previous two Saturdays.

Clashes at the end of the Paris route

Paris marches were rerouted to the edge of the capital to protect stores, government buildings and tourist areas, the AP reported. NPR said the Interior Ministry estimated 70,000 people joined the main Paris march, which was moved after a last-minute court battle. For hours the crowd moved along the Boulevards des Maréchaux with techno music, and some marchers went trick-or-treating.

Near Porte de Charenton, where the march ended, protesters threw glass bottles and fireworks at police, who answered with stun grenades and tear gas, both outlets reported. Many peaceful marchers left, some heading into the nearby Bois de Vincennes, one of the largest parks in Paris.

Curfews and restricted areas

Paris police barred people from entering Place de la Republique and Les Halles from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Unaccompanied minors face a separate 9 p.m. curfew around the Champs-Elysees. A Paris court on Wednesday suspended an earlier curfew on minors as a serious and illegal infringement of freedom of movement, both outlets reported.

Protests elsewhere in Europe

Germany

A youth initiative called "Gen Z regelt," roughly "Gen Z's got this," rallied in more than 30 cities for education, health, climate protection and affordable living, and against any return of military conscription. Organizers said tens of thousands took part, but official figures were not immediately available. Berlin high school student Janelle Schulz said, "At my school, the ceiling is collapsing because of water damage."

Police ended a march early in Cologne after protesters used pyrotechnics, threw stones and covered their faces despite a ban, and police used water cannons there. In Hamburg, police used water cannons and tear gas after some protesters burned barricades. In Frankfurt, police said protesters threw stones that injured several officers, one of them severely.

Portugal and the Netherlands

Thousands of people, including families with small children, peacefully protested Portugal's housing crisis in downtown Lisbon, holding signs reading "Houses or Fire." In The Hague, police kept a strong presence downtown after online calls for protests, but there were no major disturbances by midafternoon and many stores were boarded up as a precaution. NPR also reported youth-led demonstrations in Italy.

What to watch next

• The Paris police restriction on entering Place de la Republique and Les Halles, set for 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
• Final nationwide arrest totals in France, which NPR and PBS reported at different points on Saturday.
• Official turnout figures for Germany's "Gen Z regelt" rallies, which were not immediately available.