By Our Reporter
French cities were left scarred by burning vehicles, looted businesses and damaged public buildings on Sunday after demonstrations against rising living costs and deteriorating living standards escalated into violent clashes, with authorities reporting about 1,200 arrests and 150 injured police officers.
The protests, which took place across several cities on Saturday, including Paris, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Lille and Strasbourg, began largely peacefully before masked youths allegedly set vehicles ablaze, ransacked shops and attacked public buildings.
Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said entire streets had been devastated by the violence, as security forces deployed tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters who threw stones, fireworks and other objects at police officers.
“It was a miracle the toll isn’t higher,” Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, reflecting the scale of the unrest.
Among the public facilities targeted were town halls in Limoges, Marseille and Lille. A police compound in Bordeaux and a tourist office in Lyon were also vandalised.
In Saint-Etienne, a 17-year-old lost his right hand after being struck by a crowd-control grenade, highlighting the dangers posed by the confrontations.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 110 demonstrations were held nationwide, attracting approximately 550,000 participants. Organisers, including the CGT labour union and student organisations, put the turnout at about 800,000.
Nunez blamed what he described as “extremely violent, radical far-left groups” for seeking confrontations with security forces and targeting public buildings. He also said some individuals had used the unrest as an opportunity to loot businesses.
Authorities said most of those arrested were adults.
The demonstrations followed weeks of student protests demanding greater investment in education, with the latest rallies bringing broader public anger over rising prices and declining living standards to the streets.
Protesters responded to social media calls to revive France’s yellow vest movement, which emerged in 2018 in opposition to planned fuel tax increases and broader economic grievances against President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
The movement’s supporters had called for Saturday’s demonstrations under the banner of “yellow and youth”, bringing together cost-of-living concerns and students’ demands.
During the unrest, groups of youths moved through city streets, confronting police, setting fires and breaking into closed shops to loot goods.
In Paris, police used tear gas and water cannon against hooded and masked demonstrators throwing paving stones, fireworks and other objects at officers in Republic Square, northeast of the city centre.
Several metro stations were closed at police request, including those around the Champs-Elysees and near the presidential palace, parliament and government offices.
President Macron vowed that those responsible for looting and attacks on public buildings would face the law.
“Will be prosecuted and punished,” Macron said, referring to those responsible for the violence.
The unrest comes approximately six months before France’s presidential election, raising concerns about the political consequences of mounting economic dissatisfaction and public anger.
Far-right and left-wing political figures exchanged accusations over the violence as the demonstrations exposed growing tensions over the country’s economic conditions, public services and political direction.
With damaged streets and businesses awaiting repairs, the protests have intensified pressure on the French authorities to address citizens’ concerns while restoring order ahead of the approaching election.