France's Macron promises 'concrete measures' for protesting students after weeks of riots, looting and the storming of Marseille city hall
Clashes between protesters and riot police in Paris, as largely peaceful nationwide marches turned violent by evening despite a 70,000-strong deployment that prevented the arson seen a week earlier.
Emmanuel Macron admitted authorities had 'not anticipated at all' the scale of the unrest, and he blamed social media for 'mobilising the worst impulses'. Police made 1,435 arrests nationwide during Saturday's demonstrations. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expects more trouble on October 31, saying 'Clearly, yes.' Changes to the Parcoursup university admissions platform are expected.
France says it will deploy 3,000 extra substitute teachers to struggling high schools.
Authorities counted 400,000 protesters on Saturday, while organisers claimed nearly 800,000.
Nunez said organised far-right gangs confronted far-left activists in several cities.
