Paris. After a largely peaceful start to the day of protests in France, tensions increased in the evening. “We are ready,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had previously announced in view of the serious riots the previous week and had mobilized a massive contingent of security forces. 70,000 police and gendarmes were to be deployed, water cannons and armored vehicles were at the ready.
In the metropolis of Paris, the demonstration organized by unions, which was moved to the outskirts of the city, was initially quiet. People of all ages took part and expressed their diverse demands, for example for better facilities in schools and lower costs of living.
At the end of the demonstration the situation worsened. Images showed clouds of tear gas and fireworks as well as the use of water cannons, banging noises could be heard in television recordings, and a garbage can was burning.
The police prefecture of Paris stated on Platform X that rioters tried to break into a car dealership at the end of the demonstration there. It was said that the rapid intervention of the law enforcement officers prevented this.
Images from other French cities such as Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille also showed clouds of tear gas and fire. Media reported clashes with the police. In the city of Nantes in northwestern France, damage and looting were reported in a shop, the responsible prefecture said. The security forces arrested six people. Looting was also reportedly observed elsewhere. In Toulouse, according to the media, a man is said to have been seriously injured in the hand during clashes with the police.
According to the French Interior Ministry, around 410,000 people took part in the protests in the country. Around 110,000 of them demonstrated in the capital. According to the police prefecture, more than 3,000 checks were carried out and 65 people were arrested.
The Interior Minister had already predicted at midday that it would be a long day. According to him, there were 135 arrests in the country at that time. During the checks carried out, many items were also confiscated - boules balls, slingshots and an airsoft gun.
Meanwhile, the yellow vest movement has already announced new demonstrations for next week. There will be a “3rd act” on October 31st, the organizers of previous events announced on their website. They called for rallies and sit-ins in front of the National Assembly and all town halls in France.
The Yellow Vests' protest against high living costs and social injustice kept France in suspense between November 2018 and spring 2019. Its name comes from the fact that many of the demonstrators wore yellow safety vests.
The protesters in France do not belong to a unified movement. The young people who have been demonstrating for weeks for better equipment in schools have been joined by other groups, such as various professional groups, the yellow vests, and representatives of the French left. Trade unions support them in this. A distinction must be made between the peaceful demonstration participants and individuals who use the chaos to loot and damage property.
Due to fears of riots and looting, such as those recorded on the sidelines of the rallies last weekend, there were bans on gatherings in certain zones and curfews in several cities. Shopkeepers barricaded their shops with wooden panels.
Particular attention is being paid to the city of Orléans, where the party conference of the right-wing national Rassemblement National (RN) is taking place this weekend. According to the prefecture, around 13,000 people gathered there to protest. 3,000 security and rescue workers were mobilized over the weekend. According to the prefecture, the march passed peacefully through the city. The route was previously adjusted by the authorities. Meanwhile, a nighttime curfew has been imposed on children and young people, as the city's mayor announced. This is intended to prevent disruptions to public order and limit the risk of riots.
The tense situation in France was further fueled on Friday by an act of violence, although there was no direct connection to the social protests and unrest in the country. A man fired an automatic weapon from a car in communities near Paris. One person was killed and five others were injured. The man was arrested a short time later. People from his family and friends were also taken into police custody. President Emmanuel Macron spoke of a “racist terrorist attack”.
