Burning buildings, looted shops, street battles with the police: serious riots have overshadowed nationwide protests in France against, among other things, increased living costs.
As hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country on Saturday, cities such as Paris, Lyon and Marseille experienced chaos and violence. According to the government, 1,200 people were arrested and 150 police officers were injured.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu denounced an “appalling level of violence.” It's "a miracle that the results aren't even worse tonight."
French President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned the violence and announced rigorous prosecution. “There is no place for violence in our republic,” he said in the evening. “Destroyers” and “looters” should be “persecuted and punished,” he explained in the short message service X.
According to government figures, around 550,000 people took part in the protests across the country; the CGT union said there were 800,000 participants. On the sidelines of the demonstrations, there was violence and clashes between participants and the police in many places. Masked men set cars on fire and looted stores.
Streets in Paris 'methodically devastated'
In Paris, where, according to the Interior Ministry, 110,000 people took part in the protests, entire streets were "methodically vandalized," according to Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire. Police repeatedly used tear gas and water cannons in the capital. Mayor Grégoire told broadcaster BFMTV: "I witnessed things that made me mad: rioters setting fire to shops at the foot of residential buildings."
In the city of Lyon, a tourist office went up in flames and there was damage to shops.
Historic town hall in Limoges in flames
In the central French city of Limoges, the more than 140-year-old town hall was set on fire. The historic building is “largely lost,” said the responsible prefect, Maurice Barate, to the AFP news agency. The mayor of Limoges, Guillaume Guérin, said, according to broadcaster lci: "There are no words to condemn what happened, it is so disgusting. The country is in a chaotic situation."
In Marseille, demonstrators tried to break into a police station, gained access to the town hall and looted shops, according to the Interior Ministry. The official residence of the prefect of the Gironde department on the Atlantic coast was also stormed. The police special operations team Raid was even mobilized there. In Avignon, rioters broke into the prefecture's courtyard. In Grenoble there was damage to the town hall.
17-year-old loses hand to grenade
In the city of Saint-Etienne, southwest of Lyon, another young demonstrator - a 17-year-old - lost his hand to a police grenade. Almost two weeks ago, a 15-year-old lost his left hand when a stun grenade exploded in front of his school in Lens.
On Saturday morning, emergency services in Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg and other major cities used tear gas and batons against protesters. Water cannons were also used.
Prime Minister Lecornu said that throughout the day the police had faced "a particularly violent ultra-left," "a very well-organized, opaque group that methodically tried to attack property, people, but also the institutions of the republic," Lecornu said. It is “a political maneuver that condones violence.” He emphasized: "We will not be intimidated by this."
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said there were numerous video recordings of the violent perpetrators. There will be “further arrests” in the coming days. The government also announced help for affected business owners.
Various groups join protests
Various groups joined the day of protest, including schoolchildren and students who have been demonstrating for better learning conditions for weeks. The call for protest, which could not be clearly assigned to any organization, was also about high fuel prices, low wages, the large number of low-wage workers and problems in agriculture and the fire department.
Students in France have been demonstrating since mid-September: They are demanding more teachers, smaller classes and better equipment. The protests come against the backdrop of the debate about an austerity budget that the government wants to get through parliament. This also provides for cuts in the education sector.
Concern about new yellow vest protests
There was also a call on the Internet for a new edition of the so-called yellow vest movement. The government's concern is that the demonstrations will actually become a spark for such broader protests. The yellow vest protest, so called because many of those involved wore yellow high-visibility vests, kept France in suspense for a long time in 2019.
