France protests: 135 arrested, weapons seized as fresh demonstrations erupt amid heavy security

France witnessed fresh protests on Saturday over the rising cost of living, with authorities deploying 70,000 security personnel nationwide to prevent a repeat of the violence that marred demonstrations last week.

Police had arrested 135 people across the country and seized various weapons, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, adding that, so far, "there has been no major incident".

The seized items included metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana sword and airsoft weapons.

"These seizures clearly demonstrate the determination of certain far-left and radical left-wing groups to turn a number of demonstrations violent," Nunez said.

Authorities arrested around 2,700 people after last weekend's violence, during which public buildings were vandalised, and hundreds of shops were looted. The retail sector said shopowners suffered damage and losses worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Paris police described the situation as "calm" by midday on Saturday. However, in the southeastern city of Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse around 150 people protesting in an area where demonstrations had been banned, AFP reported, citing its journalist.

Police fired several tear gas grenades to clear the group near a university faculty and the city's police station after demonstrators attempted to block a road.

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Protest restrictions fuel anger against Macron government

Anger has also grown over President Emmanuel Macron's government banning demonstrations not led by trade unions. Several groups criticised the restrictions, describing them as an attack on the right to protest.

French unions reluctantly complied with orders banning marches in central Paris, Marseille and other cities. However, they and other groups criticised what they called an "authoritarian drift" by the government.

The Yellow Vests, who staged disruptive protests against Macron eight years ago, have called for fresh demonstrations on October 31 for "the freedom to protest".

Macron has blamed "ultra-left" groups wanting to "bring down the republic" for the worst of last weekend's violence.

Protests have also taken place in Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal over different issues, with inflation and education among the concerns. Italy has deployed 500 troops to Milan following street violence in the city.