The Interior Ministry estimated the number of protesters on Saturday at around 106,000, compared to 146,000 the previous Saturday, while unions raised the figure to 200,000 demonstrators, nearly half of whom were in the capital, Paris, compared to 250,000 the week before. France is experiencing its fifth day of weekly protests, expressing rising public anger against the cost of living, along with opposition to a proposed law granting police greater legal protection when using their weapons, just months before the presidential elections scheduled for April.
The Interior Ministry stated on Saturday that the estimated number of protesters was around 106,000, compared to 146,000 the previous Saturday, while unions raised the number to 200,000 demonstrators, nearly half of whom were in the capital, Paris, compared to 250,000 the week before.
According to these figures, the protests in Paris and other French cities on Saturday recorded a significant decline in participation, reaching their lowest level in weeks.
A new wave of demonstrations and protests launched on Saturday in France, with participants' demands ranging from enhancing child protection to addressing rising prices and opposing a new law related to police powers.
The second-largest economy in the European Union has faced protests from various social groups for over a month, with the most notable being school students demanding action against the rising cost of living, ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for April.
The demonstrations were largely peaceful but were interspersed with riots and looting. Protesters accused the police of using excessive violence.
In the capital, the "Yellow Vest" movement will join school students, unions, and other activists advocating for children's rights or opposing a law that grants police greater protection when using weapons.
Claire Bordel, from a group fighting violence against children and teenagers, stated, "We cannot focus on one issue while neglecting others."
Recently, activists have called for enhanced protection of children from sexual abuse.
Others are protesting against a bill being considered by the National Assembly, which gives police officers using their weapons a legal presumption that they were in a legitimate act of self-defense, supporters including the far-right "National Rally" party led by presidential candidate Marine Le Pen claim this measure is necessary to avoid automatically suspecting police of using excessive force.
However, opponents of the bill, which has been approved by the House of Representatives and will soon be presented to the Senate, argue that it amounts to a "license to kill" and would make holding law enforcement accountable extremely difficult.
According to authorities, about 146,000 people participated in protests across France last Saturday, which is much lower than the participation numbers in previous weeks.
The largest protests in recent weeks occurred during a strike called by unions last Thursday, where more than half a million people took to the streets across the country, according to official figures.
Unions have called for a new strike on Tuesday after rejecting the government’s promise to raise the minimum wage by 0.6 percent, considering it mere "crumbs" of no real value.