Protesters in Paris, Bordeaux and Toulouse have clashed with police, with security forces responding to projectiles with tear gas and water canons, footage broadcast by BFMTV showed.

The latest round of protests had attracted around 27,000 people across the country by early Saturday afternoon, 7000 of them in the capital Paris, according to the Interior Ministry.

Last Saturday, 84,000 people took part over the course of the whole day across France, an increase of more than 30,000 compared to the previous weekend.

In Paris on Saturday, people gathered at Les Invalides square near the Eiffel Tower and planned to march through the capital.

Security was high again after protesters and police clashed repeatedly in previous weeks.

Authorities said 80,000 members of the security forces were deployed nationwide, 5000 of them in Paris.

The Yellow Vest movement, as it has become known, grew out of opposition to fuel taxes and the rising cost of living.

A package of social welfare measures presented by embattled President Emmanuel Macron in mid-December failed to placate his critics.

The rallies have since broadened into protests against his centre-right government and its reformist policies.

Australian Associated Press