Por Sylvie Corbet y Alexander Turnbull – The Associated Press
Police arrested at least 1,800 people throughout France after violent groups clashed with officers and looted businesses during nationwide demonstrations, in which hundreds of thousands of people participated to protest against the rising cost of living and poor conditions in schools.
President Emmanuel Macron was scheduled to hold an emergency meeting with senior government officials this Sunday, before addressing the nation at 8:00 p.m., his office said.
Authorities said that on Saturday, groups of masked people set fires and attacked public buildings — including several town halls — in different cities. In the city of Limoges, in the center of the country, flames engulfed the town hall, a 19th century building, causing its roof to collapse and leaving the building practically destroyed.
This Sunday, hundreds of protesters gathered again in the Place de la République, in Paris, under a heavy police deployment. Officers used tear gas as tension flared again sporadically.
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“The right to demonstrate is a fundamental right. Sowing disorder deliberately and collectively through violence is not,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez wrote on social network
According to authorities, about 550,000 people participated in the protests across France, while organizers put the figure at about 800,000. The protesters responded to calls from a union, student organizations and activists hoping to revive the “yellow vest” movement, which emerged in 2018 to protest social injustice.
Mass protests in France are often marred by violence outside otherwise peaceful marches, leading to clashes with police. The number of arrests recorded on Sunday approached the almost 2,000 recorded nationwide during a single day of “yellow vest” protests in December 2018.
One person died due to a heart attack, Paris police said in a statement, without offering further details. The Paris prosecutor’s office indicated that an investigation has been opened in this regard.
Parisians regret the destruction of shops and the damage to a square
Uprooted cobblestones, smashed shop windows and broken glass littered the area around Place de la République in Paris on Sunday. Looting and damage was also reported in other tourist and commercial areas.
Paris police reported that 855 people were arrested in the capital region. The city prosecutor’s office indicated that 557 of them remained in police custody.
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“I am truly stunned by the level of destruction and violence that has occurred,” said Marie Peyreigne, a 57-year-old public employee, wondering what could have sparked such chaos.
Parisians inspecting the damage photographed the partially dismantled base of the square’s central monument: a statue of Marianne, a symbol of France.
Jean Foissy, 74, said he had wanted to join the protest, but upon encountering “a wall of riot police and fire everywhere,” he decided to return home.
“I was very scared,” he confessed. “I am a Parisian by birth; upon arriving here, it almost made me want to cry. Seeing this hurts me deeply.”
Margaux Eude, 26, said that, although she supports the protest movement, “I didn’t imagine it would go to these extremes.”
“Troublemakers have come, and that breaks my heart, because it takes away legitimacy from the movement,” he said.
Political leaders exchange accusations ahead of presidential elections
Political leaders across the ideological spectrum sought to capitalize on the fallout from Saturday’s unrest, with an eye toward next spring’s presidential election.
Far-right leader and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen lashed out at her far-left rival Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who participated in the Paris march. “Looting, vandalism, destruction and attacks on law enforcement: rioters have once again ruined the October 17 demonstrations,” Le Pen wrote in X.
His fellow rank and file, Jordan Bardella, stated in
For his part, Mélenchon accused Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu of “playing with fire”, alleging that, “by betting on degradation, the only thing they have managed to do is unite all young people and workers’ unions.”
Mélenchon insisted: “My message is clear: those who share our struggle have nothing to do with looting or acts of destruction.”
US President Donald Trump posted “France is burning!” on his Truth Social platform, apparently linking the riots to “the immigration of people from a completely different world.”
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“Close your borders and take control, before it’s too late!” he wrote.
French authorities and police have not linked the migrants to the unrest; On the contrary, they have repeatedly attributed part of the violence to “extreme left-wing radical groups” and other people who joined in the acts of looting.
Hundreds of businesses have been looted
“The magnitude of the damage is considerable and unprecedented,” wrote Emmanuel Grégoire, vice mayor of Paris, in an open letter. “Paris is a city of freedoms, debate and demonstrations. It must remain that way. But it must also be a city where everyone can work and run a business safely.”
Police reported that groups of hundreds of people held unauthorized marches in central Paris on Saturday. “As evening fell, a new phase began with the arrival of a large number of individuals whose sole objective was to steal and loot, taking advantage of the unrest,” the police said.
The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon – the country’s three largest cities – have requested a meeting with the prime minister in the coming days, “given the magnitude of the damage and the seriousness of the situation.”
In the southern port city of Marseille, some protesters briefly managed to enter the lobby of City Hall, while a group of hooded people with their faces covered caused damage to a police station. In Lyon, a fire broke out inside a tourist office.
Source: www.telemundo.com
