France on the brink of fresh unrest: Nearly 300 arrested, 70,000 police officers deployed PHOTO

According to the French Interior Ministry, around 70,000 demonstrators gathered in Paris, while youth trade unions claim that approximately 200,000 people took part in protests in the capital, BFM TV reports.

The demonstrations, marking the third wave of social mobilization in the past three weeks, were initially peaceful. However, clashes between protesters and police broke out in several cities in the late afternoon, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille and Nantes.

The French Interior Ministry said that radical groups in several cities had attempted to enter city centres to cause rioting, vandalism and looting, but were prevented from doing so by police forces.

Tanjug/AP/Emma Da Silva (STR)

Up to 10,000 people gathered in Marseille, according to the prefecture's estimate. After demonstrators began throwing objects at police, security forces used force to disperse groups causing disturbances.

Tanjug/AP/Emma Da Silva (STR)

In Lyon, 19,000 people took part in the protests, according to prefecture figures, while police counted 11,000 demonstrators in Bordeaux.

Trade unions, however, estimated that around 70,000 people took to the streets in Bordeaux.

Tanjug/AP/Emma Da Silva (STR)

Around 1,000 people took part in the protest in Toulon, where eight people were arrested, while demonstrations in Nice, attended by approximately 4,200 people, ended without any major incidents.

French authorities classified today's rally as a high-security-risk event, prompting the deployment of around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes across the country. Organizers announced the possibility of further blockades of secondary schools and universities starting Tuesday.