France saw hundreds of thousands of people march on Saturday against the rising cost of living and worsening school conditions, according to the French interior ministry. The ministry said 320,000 people took part across the country. Student unions put the figure at half a million, including 200,000 in Paris.
The protests were largely peaceful, the report says, though clashes broke out in Marseille, Paris and Lyon as marches dispersed. Arrests were significantly lower than at previous demonstrations. Authorities described the situation nationwide as "generally calm" in the early afternoon.
France deployed 70,000 police officers ahead of the marches. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned that face coverings could bring fines of €150. Many protesters wore Halloween costumes anyway.
The report says youth-led protests also took place in other European countries. In Germany, demonstrators in more than 30 cities protested the cost of living and military spending. The movement there was ignited by a youth-led initiative called Gen Z regelt. Police cancelled a planned march in Cologne after some participants wore face coverings and set off smoke bombs.
In Italy, police carried out 60 searches across 23 cities. The searches targeted people suspected of inciting violence at mass demonstrations on Friday, according to the news agency ANSA.