French authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes nationwide on Saturday to manage demonstrations against rising living costs and strained public services.
Major museums including the Louvre and Orsay shut their doors, while shopkeepers boarded up windows in Paris to prevent a repeat of last weekend's widespread looting.
Interior minister Laurent Nuñez ordered a firm approach, with police using water cannons and helicopters to control crowds following violent unrest on October 17.