French police fire tear gas, arrest dozens as nation braces for another weekend of protests

French police have arrested dozens and fired tear gas at some protestors Saturday as authorities stepped up security in major cities, aiming to prevent a repeat of last week's rioting. The nationwide demonstrations are focused on the high cost of living, and a massive turnout is expected again after more than half a million took to the streets last week. 

France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 135 people have been arrested and a variety of weapons have been seized. The items confiscated include metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft weapons, he said. Nuñez added that, so far, "there has been no major incident" in the country. 

Nuñez previously said as many as 70,000 officers will be deployed nationwide, along with helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons. 

Demonstrations had been banned in the southeast city of Lyon, but about 150 protesters near the city's center briefly tried to block a road. Police fired tear gas to disperse the group. A 21-year-old student, who spoke to the Agence France-Presse on the condition of anonymity, described authorities as "really mobile." 

"They come and disperse marches before they even form," the student said. A police helicopter was seen flying over the city, and security forces, armored vehicles and riot police vans were patrolling. 

In Orleans, thousands of people marched against a congress held by Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party. Le Pen is launching her campaign to succeed Emmanuel Macron as France's president. Elections will be held in six months, and surveys show Le Pen is best-placed to win. Demonstrators in Orleans protested both Macron and Le Pen. 

 "Macron resign. Le Pen in prison," the crowd yelled, according to the AFP. Police put their numbers at 11,000, while organizers said 26,000 took part. About 50 organizations, including labor unions, left-wing parties and student groups, had called for a protest against Le Pen's nationalist, anti-immigration party.

French media reported that the protest against the congress ended peacefully early Saturday afternoon. The gathering is expected to continue through Sunday. 

Situation in Paris remains "calm"  

Authorities described the atmosphere in Paris as "calm" as hundreds gathered at the Porte d'Italie for the city's only authorized march. The gathering was set to be held at the Bastille, in the city's center, but police ordered it moved to the more remote location on Paris' southeastern rim at the last minute. 

Union organizers said they reluctantly agreed to the change. But union representative Murielle Guilbert told reporters that it was "scandalous" that Macron had forbidden protestors from demonstrating "where we wish to demonstrate." 

"We are here today, quite obviously, because there is immense social anger in this country, and because wages have still not been increased to the level they should be," she added.

A student named Lucas told CBS Saturday Morning that he believed it was "normal for people to be angry." 

"There's like an escalation because people, we think that the government is not listening," Lucas said.

Throughout Paris, major museums are closed and many businesses have been boarded up. Art Basel, one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art fairs, opened to the public Friday, but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organizers to cancel the weekend program.

The first-ever NFL game in France between the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers remains scheduled for Paris on Sunday, but some associated venues have been shuttered. A pop-up NFL shop and the "NFL House," where the Super Bowl trophy is on display and community sessions and events were scheduled, were closed Saturday. A similar venue for the New Orleans Saints was also postponed until Sunday. Another NFL pop-up shop remains open in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, the league said. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier this week that preparations for the game had been made in consultation with U.S. and French authorities.

A soccer game scheduled to be held in Paris on Sunday, between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, has been postponed until Monday night. 

Parisian shopkeepers have been barricading their stores all week. Near Place de la République in Paris, one of last weekend's hot spots, a bank branch and other businesses were boarded up with wooden panels to deter potential looters.

Some 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted last weekend. The demonstrations first erupted last month when high school students in the southeast of Paris protested for better conditions, but quickly spread across the country as people took to the streets to demand relief from rising living costs.

Organizers call for Halloween demonstrations 

One group of protesters, the Yellow Vests, said they would hold another round of protests on Oct. 31. The Yellow Vests emerged about eight years ago as a loosely organized group that staged disruptive protests against Macron. 

Organizers called for rallies and a sit-in outside parliament and city halls nationwide, condemning the "authoritarian drift" of Macron's government and urging citizens to stand up for "public freedoms." 

More protests spread across Europe 

Other protests are expected across Europe on Saturday, encompassing a broad range of issues including pensions, housing costs, anti-war movements, education and corruption. 

Italy deployed soldiers to Milan, the nation's fashion and finance capital, as the city braced for fresh demonstrations one week after looting and police clashes. Many stores were boarded up with wooden planks on Saturday. Premier Giorgia Meloni announced a raft of measures, including sending an additional 500 soldiers to Milan, and tougher penalties for minors, who police said made up a large part of the violent protesters.

In Rome, authorities locked down luxury shopping streets and stepped up patrols around key sites. Several hundred students demonstrated peacefully in the historic city. Organizers of peaceful events sought to distance themselves from potential unrest, urging participants to keep their faces uncovered and their hands visible. 

In Albania's capital of Tirana, riot police used water cannons to subdue large groups of protesters. Some of the demonstrators threw projectiles at police, the AP reported. A separate protest organized by the opposition outside the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama turned violent earlier Saturday, with some activists lighting fires on the street. The demonstrators are mainly high school and university students, demanding lower tuition fees, greater state investment in education and protesting corruption in the education system. A broader anti-government movement is calling for Rama's resignation.

In Spain, thousands of retirees and others marched through central Madrid to demand that public pensions aren't meddled with. 

Protestors in Lisbon, Portugal, are expected to march across the city Saturday to demand affordable housing.