Sharjah24 – AFP: Tens of thousands of people across France on Saturday marched against "attacks on freedoms" and what organisers said was a growing influence of far-right ideas ahead of next year's presidential elections.
Members of more than 100 left-leaning organisations participated in the "Liberty March" in cities and towns across the country.
The protests were the first opportunity for a divided left to take to the streets after a year and a half of Covid-19 restrictions.
Organisers reported 70,000 participants in Paris and 150,000 around the nation, while the Paris police and interior ministry put the numbers at 9,000 in the capital and 37,000 nationwide.
The interior ministry said 119 rallies had taken place.
In Nantes, western France, around 900 people rallied, according to the local prefecture, including scores of far-left militants who clashed with police.
In the Mediterranean port of Marseilles, more than a thousand demonstrators marched behind a CGT union banner that called for "unity to break down the capitalism that leads to fascism".
Protesters vented against issues ranging from recent legislation they say chips away at liberties, such as a law that could see prosecutions for publishing images of police officers in action, to what they charge is a creep of far-right ideas into the mainstream ahead of next year's elections.
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