Thousands march in Paris against police weapons bill and rising prices

Thousands of people marched through Paris on Saturday from the Place de la Republique to the Place de la Nation to protest against rising prices and against violence by law enforcement officers at earlier rallies.

A primary trigger for the demonstration is a bill currently under parliamentary debate that would establish a presumption of legality regarding the use of weapons by law enforcement officers. Issam el-Halfawi, a representative of the association SAVE, told reporters the legislation would complicate the investigation of potential misconduct by police officers or gendarmes, making it harder to prove such wrongdoing, because findings could not be challenged if no proper investigation took place.

Slogans carried by the crowd included "All together against brutality", "Our children's lives are worth more than their profits" and "Tax the rich!". Many young people representing student organizations joined the march, alongside a large number of activists carrying the flags of left-wing political parties and movements.

Sabrina Harbash, a representative of the student organization Union Etudiante, said before the march began that students were demanding equal access to education, housing, food and medical care, and the renovation of educational facilities where "roofs are literally collapsing on our heads". Student and school associations also condemned the elimination of certain benefits for international students and the inadequacy of grants for those currently enrolled at universities.

The turnout appeared smaller than at the mass protest on November 5 organized by trade unions, which are not among the organizers of Saturday's rally — called by youth organizations and the Yellow Vests movement. The unions have scheduled their own rallies for November 17, to coincide with another day of nationwide strikes. The French Interior Ministry warned in advance of a high risk of unrest, prompting additional security measures, and large units of police and gendarmes in riot gear moved alongside the column through adjacent streets.