Europe sees drop in protest violence as students return to school

French authorities arrested 779 people during Saturday's nationwide demonstrations, marking a sharp decrease in enforcement actions compared to recent weeks. Police recorded the figure as of Saturday night, down from 2,628 arrests on Oct. 17 and 1,314 arrests the following weekend. The reduction in numbers coincided with a perceived easing of violence on the streets, although isolated incidents of unrest continued in major cities.

In Paris, rioters targeted police with Molotov cocktails at the end of the march on the city's eastern edge. The attacks injured three officers and set a car on fire, according to police. In another part of the city, masked groups threw fireworks at officers near the Eiffel Tower. Police charged repeatedly into the crowd, causing tourists to flee the area. Despite these incidents, officials noted that the overall level of damage was lower than in previous protests.

The current weekend's unrest pales in comparison to the events of Oct. 17, when a city hall was torched and more than 2,000 stores were looted. Authorities described that period as a time when they appeared unprepared to control the hours of violence. Follow-up protests on Oct. 24 also saw significant disruption. Paris and Marseille police reported that only a handful of shops were targeted this weekend, with no major damage recorded.

A national police official told The Associated Press that authorities prepared for a large turnout of both peaceful marchers and troublemakers. Approximately 70,000 police officers were deployed across the country for the weekend. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said student groups and labor unions are calling for new nationwide protests on Tuesday and Thursday. Police expect more tensions as high schools reopen Monday after their autumn break.

Germany experienced a different pattern of unrest. More than 100,000 people, mostly young, protested peacefully across the country on Saturday. The demonstrators demanded that the government invest more in education, housing, and climate protection while making daily life more affordable. In some cities, the mood turned violent during the night.

In Frankfurt, rioters attacked police downtown and looted stores after the main demonstration ended. More than 100 officers were injured, and 54 people, aged 13 to 29, were detained. Police said 17 stores were damaged, and five of those were looted. The situation calmed by early Sunday morning after police cordoned off the city center. Boris Rhein, the governor of Hesse, described the violent excesses as shocking and said the attackers place themselves outside society.

Violence also erupted in Cologne, where police used water cannons to disperse the crowd. In Berlin, protesters attacked police with bottles and pyrotechnics. The youth initiative Gen Z regelt, which organized the protests, posted a statement on Instagram distancing the movement from any form of violence committed by groups not part of the demonstrations.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt accused violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from the immigrant community of hijacking the peaceful demonstrations. He told the daily paper Bild on Sunday that rioters and looters would be identified and held accountable. In Portugal, riot police removed protesters by force from a square in Lisbon early Sunday. The intervention followed days of marches for more affordable housing.

Portuguese demonstrators have been protesting for weeks, inspired by similar movements in Spain. Thousands marched through Lisbon during the day, and a few hundred camped out in Rossio, an iconic square in downtown Lisbon. Police removed tents and pushed people away, detaining a few individuals. These events reflect a continental trend where young people are leading demonstrations against rising living costs.