France dawned under the impact of one of the most violent days in years, after protests against rising prices and the deterioration of public services left one protester dead, hundreds of police officers injured and almost 1,800 people detained.
Demonstrations held across the country on Saturday (17) evolved into clashes and episodes of vandalism. A city hall was set on fire, stores were looted and buildings were spray-painted, while violent groups clashed with the police in cities across different regions.
A protester died after suffering a cardiac arrest during protests in Paris, where police made a record 855 arrests. Across the country, more than 500 agents were injured, according to Interior Minister Laurent Núñez.
More than 500,000 people participated in marches in dozens of cities, in a mobilization that marked the convergence of a student movement that began about a month ago with broader social discontent caused by the rising cost of living and the deterioration of public services.
President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation at 8pm this Sunday (3pm Brasília time), according to his office.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, this Sunday (18) attributed the wave of violence that hit France to immigration and called for the country to tighten its immigration rules.
"France is on fire! The immigration of people from a completely different world, people with hate in their hearts, has destroyed that once great country," Trump wrote on his social network, Truth Social. "Close your borders and take back control before it's too late!"
While hundreds of thousands of people protested peacefully, violent groups attacked public buildings, looted luxury stores and supermarkets and attacked vehicles and police officers.
A massive clean-up operation began in cities from Lille in the north to Marseille in the south and from Strasbourg in the east to Bordeaux in the southwest, where a masked mob broke into the residence of the local mayor.
The Interior Minister said hundreds of commercial establishments were damaged on Saturday.
In Limoges, in the southwest of the country, Mayor Guillaume Guerin condemned the chaos after the 143-year-old town hall was set on fire and partially destroyed in an arson attack. "There was a clear and premeditated intention to burn down the town hall, and the people inside feared for their lives," Guerin told Reuters. He has threatened to resign if the city does not receive the money needed to repair the building.
The wave of violence has increased pressure on Macron and his government, months before a presidential election scheduled for next year. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu attributed the episodes to the "extreme left" and criminals.
The Minister of Economy, Roland Lescure, promised this Sunday support for traders who suffered losses. "Whoever breaks it will pay, repair the damage and answer for their intention to sow chaos," he said in a statement.
Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said that 100 stores were looted in the city. In Marseille, Mayor Benoît Payan announced emergency financial aid to establishments affected by the violence.
Carrefour's executive president, Alexandre Bompard, told BFMTV that 50 of the chain's stores were damaged, 20 of which were looted. According to him, the losses caused by the attacks reach tens of millions of euros.
The protests began last month over school conditions and a lack of teachers in popular neighborhoods, but have morphed into a broader movement against inequality, public spending cuts and the rising cost of living.
