Over 1,000 arrested in France after a day of mostly peaceful protests

Officials in France say more than a thousand arrests have been made as hundreds of thousands of people took part in another day of protests across the country on Saturday. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, however, this number was expected to increase significantly as more were counted. While the demonstrations were mostly peaceful, the rallies gave way to clashes in Paris, Marseille and elsewhere as night fell, despite a large security presence. Police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in a number of cities, including the capital, but largely managed to avoid the scale of rioting and looting seen last weekend. Nunez estimated nationwide turnout at 410,000, while the CGT union that helped organize some of the protests said the figure was nearly double that amount. The main demonstration took place on the outskirts of Paris, with more than 100,000 people turning out to denounce rising living costs and growing inequality. Protests over the past month were initially over school funding before expanding to other complaints, upping pressure on President Emmanuel Macron's government. The unrest is playing out against the backdrop of an increasingly polarised political landscape ahead of next year's presidential elections.