Scenes of urban guerrilla warfare and mass looting: our story of a day of unbridled violence that set France ablaze
Quick Look
- This Saturday around 2 p.m., violent clashes broke out near Place de la République in Paris, even before the start of the demonstration against the high cost of living.
- Various projectiles were thrown against the police, a construction machine was set on fire and slogans hostile to the police were heard, even though the demonstration had not yet started.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A demonstration “against the high cost of living” was to start from the Place de la République towards Clichy, bringing together yellow vests and unions, but had not yet left when clashes broke out.
This Saturday near the Place de la République in Paris, it rained mortars, pieces of rock, panels, electric bikes and metal barriers. Here and there, in the air saturated with tear gas, hands brandishing these heterogeneous projectiles rose suddenly, bombarding the barrier of police officers massed on Rue Rampon. The police hid their necks, protecting themselves as best they could behind their shields. The noise was deafening: under the clamor emanating from the crowd of masked rioters dressed in black, we could hear chants of “ACAB” ([all Cops are Bastards, Editor’s note], and “death to the cops”. Three meters away, a construction machine was consumed by the flames, a fire started by the demonstrators who threw various liquids into it in the hope of fanning the blaze.
The apocalyptic atmosphere could be one of those clashes sometimes seen at the end of a demonstration between demonstrators and the police. Except that it was barely 2 p.m. on October 17, and the demonstration “against the high cost of living”, which was to start from the Place de la République towards Clichy and bring together yellow vests and unions, had not even started yet.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
An investigation will be opened to identify those responsible for the violence and the fire of the construction equipment
Very likely · Within days
The organizers of the demonstration against the high cost of living will have to publicly distance themselves from the violence that occurred before the departure of the procession
Likely · Within days
Open Questions
- Who exactly were the individuals throwing projectiles?
- What was the link between this violence and the declared demonstration?
- Were there any arrests or injuries during these clashes?
