On a crisp autumn weekend, France once again stood between its citizens' frustration and the institutions meant to hear it. Some 320,000 people, 70,000 of them in Paris, took to the streets for the third week running, carrying grievances that have been gathering since young people began protesting over understaffed schools and worn-out equipment, and that were later joined by a broader unease about the rising cost of living. Most of the marching went as planned, but as evening fell, fires, tear gas and clashes in cities from Marseille to Paris showed how thin the line can become between protes
France's Weekend Protests Turn Violent as 290+ Are Arrested Over Living Costs and School Conditions
More than 290 people were arrested, and several officers were caught in flames from incendiary devices thrown during clashes in Paris.
The marches proceeded smoothly, but not the evening in several cities
Mark
Three weekends in a row. What is actually driving this?
Mimi
Two things that merged. Students and young people have protested for weeks over staffing and equipment in schools. Then in mid-October other groups joined, mostly over the cost of living.
Mark
And who called Saturday's marches?
Mimi
Trade unions, school and student organizations, and the Yellow Vest movement, which came to prominence in 2018.
Luke
Let me flag the numbers. The 320,000 and the 70,000 in Paris are the Interior Ministry's figures. The reporting doesn't give an independent count.
Mark
What about the violence?
Mimi
Fires in Marseille, clashes in Rennes and Toulouse, tear gas in Paris and Lyon. In Paris, incendiary devices were thrown at riot officers, and several were caught in the flames.
Luke
The blame on "radical elements" is the ministry's characterization. The source doesn't say who those people were, and it doesn't say how many of the 290-plus arrests led to charges.
Mark
Was the heavy security preventive?
Mimi
Very. More than 1,200 checks at Paris stations, drones, about 70,000 personnel, rerouted marches, curfews that included minors in some places.
Luke
Worth noting the claim that last weekend's deployment largely prevented a repeat of October 17 is the report's framing. Saturday shows it limited the damage, not that it stopped it.
The Pulse
- Three consecutive weekends of protest have swelled to 320,000 people, with Paris alone contributing 70,000.
- Evening clashes broke out in Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Rennes, Paris and Lyon, leaving fires burning and tear gas hanging over the streets.
- Officers were caught in flames from incendiary devices in Paris, and more than 290 arrests have been made.
- Authorities answered with 70,000 security personnel, rerouted marches, boarded-up shops, curfews and drone surveillance over the capital.
- The crackdown has kept most marches intact, but the real test is whether the movement survives the security wall and its school and cost-of-living demands get a response.
On a crisp autumn weekend, France once again stood between its citizens' frustration and the institutions meant to hear it. Some 320,000 people, 70,000 of them in Paris, took to the streets for the third week running, carrying grievances that have been gathering since young people began protesting over understaffed schools and worn-out equipment, and that were later joined by a broader unease about the rising cost of living. Most of the marching went as planned, but as evening fell, fires, tear gas and clashes in cities from Marseille to Paris showed how thin the line can become between protest and disorder. The question now is less about the streets than about whether the demands that filled them will be answered.
Before dawn on Saturday, police in Paris were already checking travellers at the railway stations, more than 1,200 checks by the time the marches set off. Their aim was to keep fireworks, knives and other prohibited items away from the crowds. It was the third weekend in a row that France had taken to the streets, and the Interior Ministry counted 320,000 demonstrators nationwide.
The movement began with young people angry about the lack of staff and equipment in their schools. Since mid-October it had widened into a protest over the rising cost of living, drawing in trade unions, student groups and the Yellow Vest movement that first surfaced in 2018.
The day started calmly. The ministry said the marches were largely orderly, but it blamed "radical elements" in several cities for trying to force their way into centres to vandalise and loot. By late afternoon, the mood had turned. Police used tear gas in Paris and Lyon, and in Marseille fires burned in the streets while firefighters worked to contain them. In Paris, as the crowd reached the city's southern outskirts, incendiary devices were thrown at riot officers, and several were caught in the flames. More than 290 people were arrested across the country.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had warned of a "very high risk" and deployed about 70,000 officers. Routes were moved away from city centres, shops boarded their windows, several cities imposed curfews, and drones were authorised to watch Paris from above. The approach had worked the previous weekend, and it largely did again. What remains open is whether the movement holds its strength after this crackdown, and whether the schools and the cost of living get the answers that brought people out in the first place.
Before dawn on Saturday, Paris police were already at the railway stations. By the time the day's marches began, they had carried out more than 1,200 identity checks at stations and nearby areas, according to the city's police prefecture. The aim was to keep fireworks, knives and other prohibited items from reaching the demonstrations.
It was the third consecutive weekend of mass protest across France. The Interior Ministry put the national turnout at 320,000 people, including 70,000 in Paris. Young people have been taking to the streets for weeks over inadequate staffing and equipment in schools. Since mid-October, other groups have joined, mainly over the rising cost of living. Trade unions, school and student organizations, and the grassroots Yellow Vest movement, which first rose to prominence in 2018, called for Saturday's marches.
The ministry said the marches themselves went smoothly within the framework of the declared demonstrations. But it also said "radical elements" in several cities, among them Bordeaux, Toulouse and Marseille, tried to enter city centres to carry out vandalism and looting. In Marseille, footage showed fires burning in the streets as firefighters responded. Clashes with police were also reported in Rennes and Toulouse.
The day had started largely peacefully. In the late afternoon, according to French media reports and live broadcast footage, police fired tear gas in Paris and Lyon. In the capital, tensions rose as demonstrators reached the end of their march on the city's southern outskirts. Footage aired by BFMTV showed fireworks exploding and incendiary devices being thrown at officers in riot gear, with several officers caught in the flames. Police reported more than 290 arrests across France on Saturday.
The security posture had been set well in advance. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned earlier in the day that the demonstrations carried a "very high risk," citing calls for looting and rioting. About 70,000 police officers and other security personnel were deployed nationwide. Authorities also worried that Halloween celebrations would let people conceal their identities while committing offenses.
Fears of attacks on public buildings and looting led officials to move protest routes in Paris and other cities away from the centres. Many shops and businesses boarded up their windows. Several cities imposed curfews and other restrictions, including measures aimed at specific areas and at minors. In Paris, the prefecture said it deployed "all available resources" in the air, and an official order authorized camera-equipped drones to capture and transmit live images across the capital.
The precautions followed a pattern. A similarly large deployment the previous weekend had largely prevented a repeat of the violence and destruction seen during the October 17 protests. On Saturday the heavy presence again kept the marches themselves largely intact, though not the evening in several cities.
What to watch now is whether the mobilization holds after a weekend of arrests, curfews and rerouted marches, and whether the school and cost-of-living demands that brought people out are answered.
Notable Quotes
The demonstrations posed a "very high risk," citing calls for looting and rioting.— Interior Minister Laurent Nunez
The marches proceeded smoothly within the framework of the declared demonstrations.— French Interior Ministry
Want the full story?
Read the original at Deutsche Welle ↗
Crime & Justice