Over half million people have taken to streets in France: protests have escalated into riots and looting. VIDEO+PHOTOS
On Saturday, 17 October, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets inFrance to protest against the rising cost of living and fuel prices, and to show support for the demands of secondary school pupils and university students. The demonstrations were marred by clashes with the police, vandalism, arson and looting.
This is reported by the newspaperLe Monde, according to Censor.NET.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters
According to the French Ministry of the Interior, 550,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country, including 110,000 in Paris. The organisers, however, claimed there were 800,000 participants.
Mass riots and attacks
The protests escalated into riots, looting and vandalism.
In Paris, protesters smashed shop and restaurant windows and set fire to cars and rubbish bins. In response, the police used tear gas. Riots and clashes were also reported in Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and a number of other cities.
In Limoges, an attack on the town hall sparked a fire that engulfed the building’s roof.
In Lyon, protesters set fire to a tourist information centre. Meanwhile, in Bordeaux, rioters stormed the official residence of the Prefect of Gironde and ransacked it; the RAID special forces unit was deployed to quell the unrest.
The authorities’ response
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused far-left groups of organising the violence and stated that they had been joined by criminals who were looting and destroying property.
"We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence," the head of government emphasised.
Le Cornu also convened a crisis committee. For his part, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin instructed prosecutors to seek the arrest of those involved in the riots. However, the authorities do not plan to declare a state of emergency.
President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence and promised that those involved would be punished.
"Those who vandalised and looted will be held to account and punished," he wrote on social media platform X.
According to the latest figures, around 1,200 people have been arrested and 150 law enforcement officers have been injured.
Background
Protests in France have been ongoing for several weeks. Initially, schoolchildren and students protested over a shortage of teachers, the state of educational institutions and the use of force by the police.
They were later joined by trade unions and the ‘yellow vests’. Among the protesters’ demands are higher wages, the preservation of public services and a halt to the rising cost of living. Trade unions are calling for a general strike on 5 November.
