550,000 high school students and union members demonstrate in France amidst arson, destruction and looting

[Paris Current Affairs] On the 17th, high school students demanding improved learning environments and labor union officials dissatisfied with the soaring cost of living held a joint demonstration against the government in France. According to the Ministry of the Interior, an estimated 550,000 people across the country participated (800,000 according to organizers). Rioters also mixed in, committing arson, vandalism, and clashes with police, resulting in approximately 1,200 arrests. Stores were looted.

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In the capital, Paris, 110,000 people marched for several kilometers. Executives from the radical left-wing opposition party ``France Indomitable'', which supports the high school student demonstrations that began in September, rushed to the scene. However, in the surrounding area, rioters threw stones and set fires on the streets, and police responded with water cannons and tear gas. The chaos continued until late at night.

In central Lyon, a tourist information center was set on fire and engulfed in flames. In the central city of Limoges, famous for its porcelain, the city hall was also set ablaze. In the southern city of Marseille, a group of masked men forced their way into the city hall and toppled a bust of Marianne, the symbol of France. According to AFP news agency, the rioters were shouting "revolution".

President Macron stressed on social media that "violence will never be tolerated." "We will stand together against those who spread chaos," he said. "The far left has called for riots, turned protests into violence and attacked police," Interior Minister Nunez told reporters.