Around 320,000 people take part in protests across France: media

PARIS -- Around 320,000 people took part in a new round of protests across France on Saturday, according to French daily Le Monde which cited figures from the Interior Ministry.

In Paris, the Interior Ministry put the number of demonstrators at 70,000 as of 5 pm local time (1600 GMT).

However, youth unions and associations representing high school and university students put the nationwide turnout at nearly 500,000, including 200,000 in Paris.

The protests disrupted public transport. Paris public transport operator RATP announced on its website that more than 40 metro stations had been closed on Saturday.

Although most demonstrations proceeded peacefully, the dispersal of protesters led to tensions in several cities. In Paris, clashes broke out near Porte de Charenton, the authorized endpoint of the march, with protesters throwing projectiles at police who responded with tear gas, Le Monde reported.

Saturday's protests marked the third round of large-scale demonstrations in France since Oct 17. Around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed nationwide to maintain security during the demonstrations.