Rallies and demonstrations are announced throughout France on Saturday on the occasion of the social mobilization day of October 17. The movement brings together different angers and demands: former yellow vests mobilized against the high cost of living, high school students, students, climate activists and even farmers. At 3 p.m., 272 arrests had taken place in France, announced the Ministry of the Interior. The police made 133 arrests in Paris, mainly for "groups with a view to committing violence or damage", according to a report from the police headquarters at 2 p.m.
In Paris, two routes are planned at the beginning of the afternoon departing from Place de la République: the procession of students will head towards Place de la Nation, that of yellow vests and unions will go towards Place de Clichy. But from mid-morning, “two wild processions” took place, according to the Paris police headquarters. “The first, a union gathering, made up of around a hundred people, was formed in the Gare du Nord sector before reaching rue du Faubourg Saint Denis. A second, made up of high school students and of a similar size, started on rue de Rennes,” writes the police headquarters.
The police made 133 arrests in Paris, mainly for "groups with a view to committing violence or damage", according to a report from the police headquarters at 2 p.m. “Several wild processions seek to converge towards places of power,” Agence Radio France learned from those close to the Ministry of the Interior. The police systematically intervene “to prevent these movements and secure institutional sites”, continues the same source. Law enforcement remains strongly mobilized to contain “violent groups, protect public buildings and prevent looting”.
In Marseille, several groups of demonstrators were noted by the police headquarters. A municipal police station was damaged "apart from the undeclared gatherings of today", indicates the police headquarters. Around fifty yellow vests gathered on Saturday morning in the Estaque district, in the north of the city. A demonstration is planned for the beginning of the afternoon in the Old Port. Numerous incidents took place in the Phocaean city, such as the brief intrusion of around ten individuals into the town hall. Demonstrators march near the Marseille Saint-Charles station, closed for security reasons according to a Radio France journalist.
In Lyon, a branch of the tourist office located on Place Bellecour in the 2nd arrondissement was set on fire, on the sidelines of the demonstration on October 17 on Saturday, noted the Radio France journalist on site. “The building is burning,” he said. The thugs also broke windows on the facade of the building. On this Place Bellecour, several thousand demonstrators gathered, but the gathering was not authorized by the prefecture. “The police are undertaking maneuvers to disperse the violent groups” while the firefighters cannot access the fire at the tourist office branch, specifies the Rhône prefecture. The police also used a water cannon against demonstrators and hooded individuals, noted an AFP journalist on site.
In Lille (North) demonstrators forced the doors of the town hall, notes an AFP journalist on site.
In Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), scuffles took place, with jets launched in the direction of the police, according to the prefecture. The prefecture and the public transport network of the Rennes metropolis, STAR, indicate major traffic disruptions to the west of the Breton capital. At midday, the prefecture reported 17 arrests. Pavements were thrown in the direction of the police who used tear gas to disperse the crowd in the parking lot of a Leclerc in the Cleunay district, adds the prefecture. The procession currently numbers 10,000 people.
In Angoulême (Charente), nearly 4,000 people mobilized on Saturday morning. The prefecture has decided to close access to the RN10 around Angoulême. "The demonstrators are now gathering around the Angoulême Hospital Center. In view of the ongoing disruptions, the RN 10 is notably closed between the 'des Bergailles' sector, south of Angoulême, and the RN 10 / RN 141 interchange in Saint-Yrieix-sur-Charente", specifies the Charente prefecture.
In La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime), between 2,000 and 3,000 demonstrators marched towards the ring road towards the Île de Ré bridge, reports ICI La Rochelle. In Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), nearly 2,000 yellow vests, unions and members of a collective of undocumented immigrants gathered.
Near Le Mans (Sarthe), the mobilization is taking place peacefully with the presence of high school students, farmers and young workers. In Tours (Indre-et-Loire), several thousand people gathered at Place Velpeau, according to the ICI Touraine journalist on site. Among them are many young people but also yellow vests. A nearby gas station was occupied by protesters, who wrapped the pumps with black tape to prevent their use. An inscription “Stop racketeering” was sprayed in white letters. Demonstrators also invaded the A10 motorway at the Tours center exit, on the outskirts of the city, and blocked access to the tracks. A police car was targeted. The demonstrators left the A10 around 12:45 p.m., specifies ICI Touraine.
In Poitiers, the Sciences Po campus was blocked on Saturday morning by around twenty people, noted ICI Poitou. In Bordeaux, the demonstration quickly degenerated on Saturday afternoon into clashes between radical individuals and the police, according to AFP journalists on site, with the throwing of projectiles and the firing of tear gas grenades, in the shopping streets of the city center surrounding the Place de la Bourse on the banks of the Garonne. Individuals also entered the premises of the chamber of commerce and industry, while demonstrators fought among themselves, AFP journalists also noted, causing panic among passers-by and tourists who fled the scene in a thick cloud of tear gas.
Near Grenoble (Isère), traffic is disrupted after a blockage of the A480 motorway and the closure of an entrance and exit to the town, reports ICI Isère. Yellow vests gathered at 8:30 a.m. at the Catane bridge, on Boulevard Joseph-Vallier. A gas station in the area was also blocked. “Damage to the town hall” was also noted. In Avignon, there was an “intrusion into the courtyard of the Vaucluse prefecture”, according to AFP.
