France: More than 600,000 protest as anger grows over cost of living

Demonstrators took to the streets in several French cities to call for government action on the high cost of living. Protests were largely peaceful, but there were some reports of escalation, including in Paris. Hundreds of thousands of people descended on the streets of French cities on Thursday for a new round of protests over rising cost of living .

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the total number of protesters ballooned over the course of the afternoon, from 270,000 to 600,000 by the evening. The five unions that organized the protests represent public and private sectors, and are calling on the government to address deteriorating public services and high prices of goods. Public and private sector workers were joined by students, who have organized their numerous protests of their own over the course of the past month.

One of the biggest student protests in October turned violent, with rioters having vandalized stores. Flames went up from the roof of the town hall of Limoges in central France.