France sees fifth consecutive Saturday of nationwide protests

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across France on Saturday, marking the fifth Saturday of nationwide protests in a row.The Yellow Vest movement, students, and education unions took to the streets to voice a range of frustrations, from rising cost of living and calls for better funding for education, to stronger protection for children and teenagers and a new police bill.In Paris, many gathered on the Place de la Republique, which has been a symbolic and common gathering ground for nationwide protests."We’re asking to have teachers when we go to class. We’re asking to not have ceilings collapsing on us when we eat in the canteen. We’re asking, when we get our A-levels, despite conditions getting worse every year, to be able to carry on our studies at university," Marius Mesnil, Co-Secretary-General of the Union Syndicale Lycéenne said.France has been rocked by school blockades and protests for more than a month.The interior ministry estimated around 106,000 people took to the streets nationwide on Saturday, including 24,000 in Paris. Organisers put this number at 200,000, including 100,000 in the capital.The turnout of Saturday's protest was lower than usual. The largest protest in recent weeks took place on Thursday, during a union-led strike. More than half a million people took to the streets across the country.The unions have called for another…