'Appalling level of violence'
In the evening, a crisis meeting of the French government was held. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu stated afterwards that the riots were aimed at the key centers of power in the country, including: The Elysée Palace, the seat of government and the parliament - the National Assembly. He condemned the "appalling level of violence". He emphasized that throughout the day the police had to deal with "exceptionally aggressive extreme leftist circles" - "a very well-organized group that methodically tried to attack property, people, and institutions of the Republic."
"Unrest of unprecedented scale"
The head of the Ministry of Justice, Gerald Darmanin, spoke of "riots on an unprecedented scale that are still ongoing." The minister stated that he "again called on all prosecutors (...) to take decisive legal action adequate to the level of violence that has affected our country."
Earlier in the evening, President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that there is "no place for violence" in France. He assured that perpetrators of attacks on public buildings and shops would be punished. He called for unity in the face of "those who sow chaos."
Demonstrations of thousands against the rising costs of living
Hundreds of thousands of people took part in thousands of demonstrations in France on Saturday to protest against the rising cost of living.
The CGT trade union announced in the evening that 800,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country. people. The head of the Interior Ministry, Laurent Nunez, announced the number of 500,000 at a press conference. participants of the meetings.
Attacks by groups of vandals
During the afternoon demonstrations in large cities such as Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, but also in medium-sized ones such as Besanson, there were very violent attacks by groups of vandals. In some places such scenes continued into the evening.
In Marseille, a group of people briefly broke into the mayor's office building. In Lille, demonstrators forced several entrances to the mayor's office and devastated some rooms. In Bordeaux, the target of the attack was the headquarters of the prefecture of the Gironde department, and shops were also looted there. In Lyon, a branch of the tourism office was looted and set on fire. In the evening, it was reported that there was a fire in the town hall in Limoges, which had previously been attacked by a group of people. Attacks also occurred in Calais and Angers. The media reported the looting of shops in Besancon and Toulouse.
In Paris, according to the Ministry of the Interior, 110,000 people took part in the demonstration on Republic Square, which started in the afternoon. people. Shortly after the demonstrators left the square, there were reports of vandals systematically attacking and looting shops and service outlets in the area. The same acts of vandalism and looting occurred further along the procession route, on Magenta Boulevard.
According to the mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire, there were also attempts to set fire to shops located on the ground floor of buildings, i.e. under apartments on upper floors.
Journalists from BFMTV and Le Monde daily reporting on the events in Paris say they have not seen such situations during previous demonstrations. It is emphasized that acts of violence did not abate for several hours.
Trade unionists appeal for a strike on November 3
October 17 was supposed to be a day of combined protests by various professional and social groups against the rising costs of living. For weeks, calls to organize demonstrations referring to the "yellow vests" movement of 2018-19 have appeared on social media. These appeals grew in the wake of high school students' speeches and the demonstrations were presented as a combination of demands from various groups.
The CGT trade union said on Saturday evening that the government "bears political responsibility for the increase in violence seen today." He called for peaceful protests and strikes on November 3.
