OMM Newsroom
At least 400 people were arrested in France on Saturday during demonstrations against education standards and the cost of living, as disorder broke out in cities across the country. The government described the events as an “escalation in violence”, while an estimated 550,000 people took to the streets, according to BBC World.
Much of the main planned march in Paris passed without incident, but riot police clashed with protesters and used tear gas and water cannon. Buildings were set alight in Paris and Lyon, where a tourist office in a 19th-century building was destroyed.
Looting and widespread vandalism targeting town halls and businesses were also reported in several cities.
In Paris, the main march appeared largely peaceful during the afternoon. A group of young people told the BBC they were “pacifists” who were “just trying to make things change, but nothing is moving”.
Later, some groups started fires in the streets and set vehicles alight, including at Place de la République in the city centre. Shops were ransacked, at least one restaurant was gutted by fire, and the BBC witnessed fighting among some groups.
Lyon Mayor Grégory Doucet called the burning of the city’s tourist office “a tragedy” and told BFMTV: “It breaks our hearts because it’s a very iconic, well-known historic building.” Local police said “hostile individuals” had prevented firefighters from tackling the blaze safely.
The interior ministry said “targeted acts of violence” by “hooded individuals” had occurred in parts of Paris and in Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers. Damage to buildings was also reported in Grenoble, Avignon, Pau, Montpellier and Valence.
Clothing and food shops were set alight in Paris, while an “Apple” store in Lille was broken into and emptied.
Hundreds of thousands of students have demonstrated in recent weeks over staff shortages and dilapidated facilities in the country’s lycées, secondary schools attended by 15- to 18-year-olds. Trade union members and other protest groups joined them on Saturday.
France has seen repeated protests and disorder, but the latest demonstrations come as the country approaches a period of deep political uncertainty. President Emmanuel Macron is due to leave office next year, and polls suggest April’s presidential election could be a contest between Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the hard-left La France Insoumise party.
Mélenchon took part in demonstrations and later accused police officers of “unleashing” on protesters, while condemning looting and arson. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called his comments “dangerous and cynical”.
Lecornu had earlier said police faced “violence of extreme intensity” and that some groups were using the protests as a “warm-up” for the presidential election. “No-one will impose their political agenda through violence,” he said.
Le Pen said protesters’ “legitimate demands” had been “held hostage by the far left” and accused Mélenchon of fuelling the violence.
Macron said those who had damaged and attacked prefectures and businesses, and looted town halls, “will be prosecuted and punished”.
The government has appeared to offer concessions. Education Minister Édouard Geffray promised 3,000 additional supply teachers in a television interview on 8 October. The protests have continued and intensified.
