France faces fresh tumult as protests spread to Germany

Cost-of-living protests that began in France spread to Germany where demonstrations that coincide with Halloween were underway on Saturday, with tens of thousands of people expected to turn out across the country.
Fresh protesters in Paris began marching from Porte de Bagnolet, with demonstrations also taking place in Lille and Lyon on Saturday.
The French interior ministry said about 15,000 people were taking part in demonstrations across the country, adding that the situation remained “generally calm”. 
The protests were unfolding “without any notable incidents”, the ministry added.
Two French student unions called on students to blockade high schools and universities on Tuesday and Thursday, demanding that the government reform the education system and improve learning conditions.
"Starting this Tuesday, we will blockade our universities and high schools, and we will do so again on Thursday before joining the demonstration on 5 November called by workers and trade unions," Sabrine Kharbach, spokesperson for the Union etudiante, told reporters at a protest march in Paris on Saturday.
France entered a third weekend of protests coinciding with Halloween, as shops boarded up and authorities scrambled to prevent a repeat of the street violence that swept the country two weeks ago.

The demonstrations come in a febrile political climate, with presidential elections less than six months away and far-right leader Marine Le Pen leading opinion polls.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said it was "not normal" for France to be in such "turmoil" so close to a presidential election.
Around 70,000 security personnel were deployed on Saturday, as authorities sought to avert a repeat of the 17 October unrest. The Paris police prefecture authorised the day's march on the outskirts of the French capital, routing protesters through a working-class residential district lined with social housing. 
On Boulevard Davout, the starting point of the march in eastern Paris, some shopkeepers were barricading their businesses, while others chose to remain open in what they called a show of solidarity.
A night-time curfew was to be imposed in the central-east Republique and central Chatelet-Les Halles neighbourhoods of Paris from 11:00pm (2200 GMT) to 6:00am (0500 GMT) on Saturday and Sunday.
The new German youth-led movement dubbed “Gen Z has got this!” is protesting against the high cost of living, underfunded schools and universities, environmental concerns and a potential reintroduction of mandatory military service. Protests are planned in major cities including Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich.
Organizers of ‘Gen Z regelt’ planned the large day of action to coincide with Halloween, to maximize turnout and visibility.
“We are young people who no longer want to watch decisions being made about our future without us,” the movement states on its website. It adds that the intention is to protest peacefully and organizers instruct participants to keep their faces visible, even in Halloween costumes.
So far, police in Germany have reported 2,700 protesters in Berlin, with 1,800 people participating in Munich, and about 1,000 in Frankfurt. Police in Cologne have not provided figures but said it was “significantly” lower than the 15,000 registered by organisers, according to the German newspaper Die Welt.

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