A protester in Paris died of cardiac arrest during the protest. The town hall of Limoges, in central-western France, was devastated: the fire was contained but the roof collapsed during the clashes. Interior Minister Nunez announced that throughout France "one thousand eight hundred people have been arrested and investigations are underway to identify those responsible for these acts and bring them to justice". This evening at 7pm Prime Minister Lecornu will preside over a crisis unit
The damage and injuries are being counted in the aftermath of the protests against the high cost of living in France, which resulted in violent clashes with the police. Around 2 thousand people were stopped throughout the country, as announced by the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nunez, who in the early afternoon updated the numbers announced this morning. "At the moment, over 600 policemen, gendarmes and firefighters have been injured, involved in these episodes of violence", added the minister, specifying that this is an "unfortunately still provisional" toll. Yesterday he said, "violent acts were committed by several thousand individuals from the far left", who were then "joined by criminals who looted and devastated numerous businesses". In Paris alone, 855 people were stopped: a record number according to what the French police reported. The protests, organized against the increase in the cost of living and to denounce the shortcomings of the school system, involved over 800 thousand people across the country. In several cities, including the capital, the demonstrations were marked by clashes with the police, fires and looting of shops. This evening at 8pm, as announced by the Elysée, French President Emmanuel Macron will give a speech to the nation.
Moments of tension today too
Even today, in the aftermath of the mobilizations that turned into guerrilla warfare, the Paris prefecture reported some tensions in the Place de la République in Paris. The police intervened this afternoon "to disperse and stop" the participants in an "unauthorized" gathering in the square symbolizing the Parisian protests. "An appeal had been launched on social networks for an unauthorized gathering, scheduled for today at 2pm in the Place de la République," the prefecture explained to Agence France Presse. To avoid a spontaneous demonstration, the police "carried out checks" and "set up a safety device", so as to be able to "intervene quickly, if necessary". Faced with the first tensions, the officers approached to disperse and stop the participants: as can be seen from the images broadcast by television stations, the police briefly used tear gas and by around 3.15 pm the situation was back under control.
Government convenes crisis unit
In the meantime, Palazzo Matignon has announced that the meeting of the inter-ministerial crisis unit chaired by the French Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, has been moved to tomorrow morning at 10am. The meeting, initially scheduled for this evening and moved for scheduling reasons, will focus on three areas: "economy and trade", "insurance" and "judicial follow-up". Meanwhile, the mayors of the most affected cities, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Limoges, have called for concrete commitments from the executive. Interior Minister Nunez will travel to Marseille on Monday 19 October, where on Saturday, he himself said in a post on social media, "acts of violence were committed by several thousand individuals from the far left", who were then "joined by criminals who looted and devastated numerous businesses".
Limoges town hall set on fire and destroyed
The demonstrations and marches against the high cost of living, in addition to Paris, particularly involved Montpellier, Strasbourg, Lille, Bordeaux, Nantes and Marseille. In Limoges the town hall, a 19th century building, was set on fire by a group of violent protesters and was largely destroyed. The fire in the town in central-western France at first light this morning has been contained, as announced by the prefect of the Haute Vienne department, Maurice Barate, quoted by the television broadcaster Lci. However, the roof of the building, which is 143 years old, largely collapsed during the clashes. “It was a wild horde that deliberately set the fire,” Barate said.
A protester died of cardiac arrest
The clashes also caused casualties. A protester who took to the streets yesterday in Paris died of cardiac arrest: the person, whose details were not disclosed, fainted while marching on Boulevard Magenta and died after being rushed to Chateau d'Eau hospital. In Saint-Etienne, in central France, a protester lost his hand to a police grenade. The victim, as confirmed by the prefecture of the Loire department, is said to be a "young adult", in his twenties, who was "seriously injured in one hand" after picking up the grenade with his bare hands.
