France Deploys 70,000 Officers as Protests Turn Violent
Nearly 1,000 arrests made nationwide as demonstrations over cost of living and school conditions lead to clashes with police.
French authorities deployed approximately 70,000 police officers and imposed restrictions in several cities to manage mass protests over the cost of living and school conditions. The demonstrations saw clashes between protesters and riot police, resulting in nearly 1,000 arrests by late Saturday.
In Paris, confrontations erupted at the conclusion of a largely peaceful march. Elite units were involved in operations where protesters erected barricades and threw projectiles at officers, while police responded with baton charges against masked individuals smashing car dealership windows. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that "several thousand radical activists" were present, with around 500 identified as rioters.
Similar scenes unfolded in other cities. In Marseille, rubbish bins were set ablaze and metal sheets used to block streets, with a law enforcement vehicle seen driving through a burning barricade. In Bordeaux, individuals in dark clothing and face coverings dismantled building boards to construct street barricades. Lyon saw police deploy tear gas grenades to disperse a crowd in an area designated as off-limits.
Nuñez indicated that the number of arrests was expected to rise and reported that two individuals sustained serious injuries: one in Toulouse and another in Clermont-Ferrand.
Demonstrators expressed frustration with President Emmanuel Macron's government, citing economic hardship and perceived lack of response to their concerns. "They keep us quiet. They take our money, they tax us a lot and we can't say anything," said one 26-year-old protester in Paris, who identified herself as Zelie. Teenage protesters also voiced feelings of despair and abandonment by the government.
While some protests turned violent, a rally against the hard-right National Rally party in Orléans proceeded peacefully, drawing around 13,000 participants.
The recent unrest follows similar demonstrations in other European cities, including Albania's capital Tirana and Brussels, Belgium. In Milan, Italy, a large security operation prevented protesters from gathering.
Last weekend's nationwide demonstrations, reportedly involving 550,000 people, were triggered by rising fuel prices and the cost of living, escalating tensions from weeks of student protests. The prior events resulted in over 2,500 arrests, widespread damage to more than 2,000 businesses estimated to cost hundreds of millions of euros, and approximately 1,000 police officers injured. One protester reportedly lost a hand due to a police crowd-control grenade.