France protests: police detain Yellow Vests figures

French police detained two Yellow Vests figures in Paris on Saturday as authorities moved to stop a banned rally near the Elysee Palace during a fourth straight weekend of protests across France.

Thousands of people protested against the government nationwide. Authorities had expected up to 170,000 people to demonstrate, including 60,000 in Paris, but the interior ministry counted 7,000 people nationwide by early afternoon, an official told AFP.

About 70,000 members of the security forces were deployed after earlier mass protests on October 17 turned into France's worst riots in years.

Unions marched from Place de la Republique in central Paris to Place de la Nation in the east of the city. The Yellow Vests movement called a rival demonstration at Place de la Concorde, close to the president's Elysee Palace and the lower house of parliament, but authorities banned it.

A large police presence stopped protesters from getting close to Place de la Concorde. About 100 people who arrived were surrounded by police, and Yellow Vests coordinator Benjamin Ball and spokeswoman Azelma Sigaux were apprehended, an AFP reporter said.

In Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred people blocking a road during an unauthorised gathering in the city centre.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the risk was “exactly the same as on previous Saturdays” and called on authorities not to lower their guard.

The protest wave began in late September with high school students angry about conditions at their schools. University students remain central to the movement, and unions have linked the protests to demands over wages, purchasing power and public services.

Student Union spokeswoman Sabine Kharbach said many young people were mobilising because the government's responses remained unsatisfactory.

Police handling of the protests has faced criticism, with dozens of internal investigations opened into allegations of brutality against demonstrators. AFP urged protection for its journalists on Friday after what it described as several instances of apparent police brutality against its reporters covering the protests.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to meet unions and employer federation representatives on Monday to discuss wages and purchasing power. Student and teacher groups have called for a new strike on Tuesday to press for more education spending.

The unrest comes as France moves toward presidential elections in five months. Polls cited by AFP show far-right candidate Marine Le Pen as the favourite to win the Elysee in 2027, with hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon also prominent among Macron opponents.