Hundreds of thousands demonstrate: France's day of protests ends in violence and looting

Paris. Following a nationwide day of protest marked by unprecedented riots and looting, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has denounced a "horrific level of violence." He stated that 150 police officers were injured and around 1,200 people were arrested. On the sidelines of the protests against the high cost of living, which drew hundreds of thousands of participants, violence, looting, and property damage causing millions of euros in losses occurred in many cities.

In the city of Limoges, for instance, rioters set fire to the heritage-listed town hall, which largely burned down. According to broadcaster LCI, the mayor of the central French city, Guillaume Guérin, said: "There are no words to condemn what has happened, it is so vile. The country is in a chaotic state." He spoke surrounded by deputies with tears in their eyes. "They have destroyed a building that is dear to the people of Limoges, but they have not destroyed the public service," he said.

Various groups had joined the day of protest, including school and university students who have been demonstrating for better learning conditions for weeks. The call to protest, which could not be clearly attributed to any single organization, also addressed high fuel prices, low wages, the large number of low-wage workers, and problems in agriculture and the fire service. However, due to the already high budget deficit and France's high debt, the government's room to maneuver in responding to the demonstrators' demands is limited.

Prime Minister Lecornu said that throughout the day, the police had faced "a particularly violent ultra-left," describing them as "a very well-organized, opaque group that methodically tried to attack property, individuals, and also the institutions of the Republic." He called it "a political maneuver that condones violence." He emphasized: "We will not be intimidated by this."

Late Saturday evening, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin spoke of "riots of an unprecedented scale that are still ongoing." The minister stated that he had "once again called on all prosecutors general and public prosecutors to show an extremely resolute legal response commensurate with the violence that has struck our country."

President Emmanuel Macron threatened those responsible with consequences. "There is no room for violence in our republic," he said in the evening. "Those who have destroyed and attacked prefectures and shops, and even looted our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished."

According to the Ministry of the Interior, demonstrators in Marseille attempted to break into a police station, gained access to the town hall, and looted shops. In Lyon, the tourist information office was set on fire and shops suffered property damage. Firefighters were prevented from intervening by rioters. In Avignon, rioters forced their way into the courtyard of the prefecture, and in Grenoble, damage was done to the town hall.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire reported entire streets completely devastated. "I witnessed things that drove me into a blind rage: rioters setting fire to shops at the base of residential buildings," he told the BFMTV broadcaster.

According to media reports, demonstrators were also injured. In Saint-Étienne, a 17-year-old had a hand blown off by a grenade fired by the police, the newspaper "Le Figaro" reported. In Nancy, eastern France, three people were injured by a stun grenade deployed by security forces, wrote the newspaper "L'Est Républicain."

Prior to the day of protest, there had been calls online for a revival of the so-called yellow vest movement. The student protests of recent weeks had indeed caused concern within the government that the demonstrations could merge into broader protests. The yellow vest movement—so named because many participants wore yellow high-visibility vests—kept France on tenterhooks for a prolonged period in 2019.

A new president will be elected in France next year. Incumbent Emmanuel Macron cannot run again. For a long time, polls have shown nationalist-right candidate Marine Le Pen leading the first round of the presidential election, recently polling at around 34 percent. Some polls had placed left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon in second place, though he has recently been overtaken by center-right candidate Édouard Philippe in several surveys.