French cities see large anti-government marches amid concerns over potential violence

Thousands of demonstrators marched in Paris, Orléans and other French cities on Saturday, turning a student-led protest about educational standards into a broader expression of discontent over the cost of living, pensions and the state of the French economy. Police presence was heightened after violent riots and looting erupted in multiple cities on Oct. 17, prompting authorities to intervene early to prevent a repeat.

"This is a protest, it started obviously, about educational standards. High school students were leading the protests. It has now become a much bigger protest about the cost of living, the problems of the French economy and the dissatisfaction, particularly among the youth, but also the fears of the older generation, pensions, etc., because the French economy is in so much trouble," said commentator Hunt on "Fox & Friends Weekend."

"So this is what we are seeing right now. What is so far, a peaceful march. Obviously, the great concern here, is what happened last week, Oct. 17, when we saw, this kind of protest turn into violent rioting in the later hours, thousands of businesses right across France, not just in Paris, but in cities across France, got so badly damaged, there was so much looting," Hunt added.

"What nobody wants is for that to happen again. The people, the groups leading these protests don't want that to happen. They know that their cause was hijacked by those who simply wanted to commit acts of violence. They hope that won't happen again today. But we're in the very early stages of this. Remember, in these situations, it is always in the later hours when that kind of activity, tends to burst open and you see the fires, you see the violence, you see the looting that we saw so much of last week," he said.

Police in Lyon deployed tear gas in response to clashes, while authorities in other locations emphasized a strategy of early intervention to keep the protests peaceful.