Protests in France end with more than 1,000 arrested; acts against the cost of living spread across Europe

Tower of the city hall of Limoges, France, collapses during fire — Photo: PASCAL LACHENAUD/AFP

The balance was released by the Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, on Saturday night. According to him, it is a miracle that the toll was not more serious.

The French government estimates that 550,000 people participated in the demonstrations across the country. The organizers speak of 800 thousand. The acts brought together students, who have been organizing protests for weeks, workers and members of the “yellow vest” movement.

In Limoges, in central France, a fire hit the city hall and destroyed part of the building, opened in 1883. According to the French press, a group of hooded people broke windows to enter the building and set the place on fire, after the end of the demonstration in the city.

On the same day, demonstrations against the cost of living and housing prices took place in other European countries, including Portugal, Italy, Belgium and Spain.

Earlier, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had reported 400 detainees and 60 police officers injured, two of them taken to hospital unconscious. He also reported looting or attempted looting in Paris, Rouen, Nantes, Toulouse and Marseille.

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Public buildings burned

The fire in Limoges started after a municipal police car was set on fire in front of the city hall. The roof collapsed on the lower floors, with the exception of the west wing, and about two-thirds of the facades were gone, according to regional mayor Maurice Barate.

In Lyon, the tourist office was set on fire. Mayor Grégory Doucet classified the episode as a tragedy for the city and told "BFMTV" that the building is historic and emblematic. Local police reported that hostile people prevented firefighters from safely fighting the fire.

In Angers, in the west of the country, protesters invaded the town hall and the headquarters of the regional government of Maine-et-Loire, according to information provided to the AFP agency by the regional administration itself. A fire started in the mail room and was put out by an employee with a fire extinguisher.

Limoges city hall headquarters, in France, is destroyed in fire — Photo: MELAINE PAYZAL/AP

Clashes in Paris until night

In Paris, the main march passed mostly peacefully in the afternoon, according to the BBC. Throughout the day, however, groups set fire to streets and vehicles, including Praça da República.

There were clashes with riot police until the evening. The police used tear gas and water jets. According to the BBC, stores were looted, at least one restaurant was destroyed by fire, and police officers advanced against a group in the city center, hitting several people with batons.

Protesters clash with police during a protest against the high cost of living and in support of student demands in Paris, this Saturday (17). — Photo: AP Photo/Emma Da Silva

Looting and clashes in Toulouse

In Toulouse, the act ended with looting of stores, burning trash cans and barricades, according to the newspaper "Le Monde". The Capitol square was isolated after a fire broke out.

The protest brought together 32 thousand people according to the regional government and around 80 thousand people according to the unions. The situation changed around 4:30 pm local time, when security forces tried to break up the march. Four union leaders were injured and had to be removed from the scene.

“We hold the regional mayor and his chief of staff, as well as the prime minister, directly responsible for the orders given to the police,” Cédric Caubère, general secretary of the CGT departmental union in Haute-Garonne, told "Le Monde".

Acts in other European countries

Demonstrations against the rising cost of living and the deterioration of public services took place in several European countries this Saturday. In Portugal, tens of thousands of people marched through the center of Lisbon against housing prices and the cost of living, in an event called by the CGTP, the largest trade union in the country.

Since 2017, property prices have more than doubled in the country, and rents on new contracts have almost doubled. In Spain, protests against rent prices and the lack of housing led the government to call early elections.

In other countries, the acts ended in confrontation. In Italy, police used tear gas after being attacked with stones in Milan's cathedral square during a protest against the cost of living. Shops closed their doors, tourists left the central region and the Duomo metro station was closed. In Bologna, agents used water jets and seven people were detained.

In Belgium, hundreds of young people protested in Brussels against rising education costs and reforms that they say could make access to higher education more difficult. The police used tear gas and water jets, and a car was overturned.

Protest in Bologna, Italy, against the high cost of living — Photo: MICHELE LAPINI/Reuters

Lecornu demands position from Unsubmissive France

Visiting police officers mobilized in the center of Paris, Lecornu said that the time has come to choose a side, in a statement addressed to the France Insubmissa party, with whom he has exchanged accusations since the beginning of the student mobilization.

According to him, either you are on the side of the Republic and the security forces, which protect goods and people and enforce the laws, or you are on the side of the predators. The Prime Minister stated that the situation has reached a point of no return.

President Emmanuel Macron stated on X that there is no room for violence in France. According to him, whoever vandalized and attacked regional government offices and businesses and looted city halls will be prosecuted and punished.

How the movement started

The protests began in September at high schools in poor neighborhoods on the northern outskirts of Paris. Initially, students demanded more teachers and improvements in school infrastructure.

As the weeks went by, the mobilization gained strength and began to incorporate criticisms of social inequality, public spending and the decline in purchasing power.

The performance of security forces has been questioned after a number of protesters were injured. Among the cases is that of a teenager who lost one of his hands after picking up a stun grenade. The body responsible for monitoring police action investigates at least 24 reports of violence committed by officers.

The “yellow vest” movement emerged in 2018, initially in opposition to the increase in taxes on diesel, and then turned into a wave of protests against the high cost of living and social inequality.