Police station attacked, town hall briefly taken over... Clashes break out in Marseille on the sidelines of the mobilization day of October 17

Several dozen demonstrators briefly entered the hall of the mayor of Marseille, Saturday October 17, on the old port, after breaking down the door shouting "it's the Revolution, we are taking the Bastille", noted an AFP journalist. These demonstrators were dispersed by police who positioned themselves in front of the town hall to prevent access, AFP also noted.

“Faced with the situation out of control in the city center of Marseille this morning, I had to directly request the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior in the crisis unit this afternoon so that a response could be provided that meets the needs,” reacted the mayor of the city, Benoît Payan, on franceinfo.

The situation is particularly tense in Marseille, on the sidelines of the mobilization day of October 17. Demonstrators notably broke windows and threw smoke bombs into the Marseille municipal police station, located in the 3rd arrondissement, franceinfo learned from the Marseille police headquarters. “The municipal police station has been degraded”, again according to this source, who mentions “undeclared gatherings from today”. An attempted fire was prevented. There were no injuries.

“On the Canebière, stores were vandalized and the municipal police station was damaged,” franceinfo learned from the minister’s entourage. “The probability that the ultra-left will cause the afternoon processions to degenerate is very strong,” according to this source, who emphasizes that the minister had reiterated his “very firm instructions to the prefects and the police.”