Police in Paris fired teargas and clashed with protesters on Saturday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets across France. The nationwide demonstrations, initially sparked by grievances among high school students, have expanded to include groups angry over the rising cost of living and the perceived erosion of the social welfare system.
Tensions erupted on the fringes of the official marches. In central Paris, near Place de la République, a peaceful march turned violent when masked rioters threw fireworks and paving stones at police. Protesters attacked a bank, looted a sports shop, and set wheelie bins on fire. One demonstrator shouted, “We’re taking the Bastille!” as flames from a burning lorry spread to a nearby building.
Violence in Marseille and Paris
In Marseille, protesters stormed the town hall, ramming the door with security barriers they had removed from the street. They briefly entered the municipal building, where a protester spray-painted an “A” for anarchy on a wall before police removed them. Residents in surrounding streets in Paris were forced to close windows and doors as huge clouds of teargas rose to roof level.
French authorities detained dozens of protesters across the country, with more arrests expected. Officials blamed the violence on what they described as “ultra-left” agitators. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said hundreds of protest actions and more than 80 marches were expected nationwide, including spontaneous gatherings and blockades.
Widening Movement and Political Fallout
The protests began last month in the poor northern suburbs of Paris, where anger over teacher absences and shabby school facilities quickly morphed into a nationwide movement. Saturday’s mobilisation called for teachers, students, labourers, pensioners, and farmers to join, aiming to widen the movement against inequality and weak public spending.
The CGT, one of France’s biggest labour unions, backed the protests, calling for higher wages, pensions, lower prices, and the protection of public services. About 45% of French people are worried about the rising cost of living and inflation, according to a 2,000-person survey conducted in October.
Both the far left and far right in France sought to capitalise on the protest movement. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, marched in a demonstration on Tuesday and has expressed support for student protesters. The far right has largely backed the police.
President Emmanuel Macron entered the final stretch of his presidency, leaving behind a polarised electorate and a badly fragmented political landscape. On Friday, he appealed for calm and respect for people and property. He denounced as “unacceptable” the potential presence of people “solely to cause damage and create unrest.”
The interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, said that more than 900 police officers had been injured in recent weeks. The police watchdog is investigating at least two dozen allegations of police violence. Nuñez suspended the use of a type of police stun grenade against young demonstrators after a 15-year-old lost a hand, but said they could be used on Saturday.
Among protesters, particularly gruesome wounds suffered by some teenagers have been blamed on police riot-control weapons. A 19-year-old protester in Paris named Lola said, “We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh, because the price of fuel is too high, because high school pupils are being violently attacked and hurt all over the country just for trying to protest and ask for more teachers and decent learning conditions.”
About 100 people walked towards the police at the beginning of the protest yelling, “all cops are bastards!” Many Métro stations were closed on Saturday at the police’s request, including those around the Champs-Élysées and near the presidential palace, parliament, and government offices.
Climate and social justice activist Greta Thunberg joined students at a school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday. The protests are influencing the country’s presidential election campaign and drawing international attention.
Source: The Guardian
