It's getting out of control!

The protests initiated by students in France, especially to improve conditions, turned into protests over the cost of living and spread out of control to many countries in Europe.

As protests against the cost of living in France turned into a wave of violence, buildings were burned, luxury stores were looted, and the streets turned into a war zone. It was stated that approximately 1,200 people were detained in the incidents in which one person lost his life, and a call for action was made at 500 different points across the country. While the Paris Police Department banned protests at important points in the capital such as the Elysee Palace, the Prime Ministry building and the Champs-Elysees, shop owners on the famous Champs-Elysees street blocked the shop windows with billboards and security forces were deployed along the street.

While the demonstrations continued at different points in Paris yesterday, there were occasional scuffles between the police and the demonstrators. A group of demonstrators were blocked by law enforcement officers while trying to approach the Elysee Palace.

Looting and burning

Some banks and shops on the route of demonstration marches in Paris were damaged and vehicles were burned. In addition to Paris, protests also took place in the cities of Lyon, Marseille, Rennes and Lille. A fire broke out in the historical city hall in the city of Limoges, and some demonstrators entered the building of the Marseille Municipality. In Lyon, while the police intervened with pepper gas against the demonstrators, the branch of a famous brand in the city was looted and the tourism office was set on fire. While supermarkets, pharmacies, luxury stores, cosmetics shops and electronics stores in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges, Lille, Toulouse and Strasbourg were looted, it is reported that great damage was caused.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported that more than 2 thousand people were detained during the yellow vest demonstrations held across the country the previous day. Nunez stated that more than 600 police officers, gendarmerie soldiers and firefighters were injured. Paris Police also announced that 855 people were detained in the capital, and one person who fell ill during the demonstration in the city died as a result of cardiac and respiratory arrest.

Italy is also confused

After France, many cities in Italy witnessed anti-government protests criticizing the high cost of living. Riots broke out in protests held in different cities against the high cost of living and the right-wing coalition government led by Giorgia Meloni. Especially in Milan, the incidents between demonstrators and security forces caused Duomo Square and its surroundings in the city center to turn into a war zone. Some demonstrators threw stones, smoke bombs, fireworks and garbage cans, and the police intervened with water pressurized and tear gas. According to local media reports, tensions also rose in Bologna and Turin. The march in the capital Rome ended without incident.

In his post on his social media account regarding the demonstrations, Prime Minister Meloni expressed his great respect for the thousands of people who demonstrated peacefully, but added: "Demonstrating is a right. Turning our cities into warzones is not a right."

45 detained in Belgium

There were violent incidents in the Belgian cities of Brussels and Liege during protests against education policies as well as budget cuts, and Liege police reported that 45 people were detained. It was reported that some violent incidents and fires occurred during the protests against education policies and budget cuts in Liege.

'Looters will pay the price'