Emmanuel Macron has said there is “no room for violence” after hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest France’s cost of living crisis on Saturday.
“Those who have broken, attacked the prefectures as well as businesses, looted even our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished,” the French president said.
At least 1,200 people people were arrested including “extremely dangerous profiles”, prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Saturday according to Le Parisien. The government says around 550,000 protesters took part across the country, with organisers estimating the number at 800,000.
The interior ministry saying there had been violent incidents involving hooded individuals in Paris, Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers.
A large police presence was visible in central Paris, especially near landmarks such as the Avenue des Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe, with police firing tear gas at protesters who had climbed on monuments.
Protesters chanted about a repeat of the French Revolution, declaring: “It's the Revolution − we're taking the Bastille!" as they stormed the mayor’s offices in Marseille, according to Le Monde.
The protests began last month at high schools in Paris' poor northern suburbs, where anger over teacher absences and shabby facilities quickly morphed into a nationwide movement against inequality, weak public spending and falling standards.
French PM says government 'will not be intimidated'
French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said the government would not be "intimidated" by violence, and blamed the unrest on the "ultra-left" and criminals just months before a presidential election next year.
"To those who clearly want to use this violence as a 'warm-up' before the presidential election, I say clearly: We will not let ourselves be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence," he wrote in a post on X.
Some 1,200 people had been arrested as part of the protests, Lecornu added while visiting the sites in the evening.
Around 550,000 people had participated in the demonstrations across the country, interior minister Laurent Nunez said.
The CGT union told Reuters it estimated the number of protesters at 800,000.
Hundreds arrested as protesters clash with police across France over rising living costs
Clashes have broken out between police and protesters in cities across France as tens of thousands of people angered by rising costs and declining public services took to the streets – in some of the country's most violent protests of recent times.
More than 270 people have been arrested across the country, while in Lyon, protesters torched the tourist office. In Marseille, the mayor said the town hall had been vandalised and that additional police were being sent to the city following talks with the government.
The protesters said most people were protesting peacefully and put much of the violence down to troublemakers who had set out to cause damage and clash with the police. The Interior Ministry said, however, that violence was increasing, and that there had been "confrontations with law enforcement, looting or attempted looting of shops, attacks on and damage to public buildings." It blamed the unrest on what it described as the "ultra-left".
Holly Evans brings the full report:
How mass protests unfolded across France on Saturday
Thousands of people spilled onto the streets early on Saturday morning to protest falling education standards and the cost of living in France.
Large groups gathered in Paris and Marseille ahead of the official marches and more than 150 arrests were made before midday.
Just a couple of hours later, huge demonstrations erupted across the whole country, with tens of thousands of people taking part.
Police have been out in full force, firing tear gas, using stun grenades, water cannons, and chasing protesters with batons.
French president Emmanuel Macron appealed for “calm” and called on demonstrators to show “respect for people and property”.
According to the Yellow Vests, one of the organisations leading today's protests, there were 1,756 mobilisations taking place on Saturday, including 811 demonstrations.
Masked protesters stormed Marseille's town hall after ramming the doors with security barriers in the morning, and were followed by attacks on town halls in Grenoble and Lille.
Protesters later set fire to the tourism office in Lyon in eastern France and attempted to prevent firefighters from tackling the blaze.
Elsewhere across France, businesses and schools have been vandalised and looted.
Some 272 people had been arrested by mid-afternoon after violent incidents involving hooded individuals, including in Paris, Marseille in the south, Rennes in the northwest, Toulouse in the southwest and Angers in the west, the Interior Ministry said.
Protesters attempting to 'converge on seats of power', French ministry says
The French interior ministry has said that “several unsanctioned protest groups are attempting to converge on seats of power”.
With over 270 people arrested, the ministry said that police and law enforcement is continuing to stop protesters and to secure institutional sites.
They listed the following hotspots:
- In Paris, protests have turned violent in Place de la Republique, with a water cannon deployed
- In Marseille, intruders entered the city hall and businesses were vandalised
- In Lyon, the tourist office was set on fire and shops were damaged
- In Avignon, individuals entered the courtyard of the Vaucluse prefecture
- In Grenoble, the city hall was damaged
- In Pau, Montpellier, Toulouse and Valence, businesses have been vandalised
Left-wing leader says protesters have 'calmly mobilised'
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who leads France's left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI - France Unbowed), has blamed the police for “relentlessly gassing” the starting point of the march.
On X, he wrote: “While the news channels flood us with images of violence in dozens of cities, everything is unfolding in calm with tens of thousands of people calmly mobilised. Two worlds, two realities.”
In a separate post, he said: “In Paris, the disorder is orchestrated by the prefect who bans access to Place de la République by relentlessly gassing it. And yet, it's the official and authorized starting point.
“The confrontation seems to be the goal of this "maintaining order" strategy. Pathetic. So, everywhere, spontaneous processions form to demonstrate anyway. And everywhere there are no police, it's calm and good spirits!”
Mr Mélenchon has publicly supported the student protests in recent weeks.
Dozens of shops looted by rioters across Marseille
Dozens of shops have been looted in Marseille where protests erupted early on Saturday.
Local media has reported that several businesses, including food shops and luxury goods stores, have come under attack.
Marseille's naval firefighters said they had been called to a sports shoe shop after a fire broke out inside.
Earlier, rioters stormed the city’s town hall, shouting: “It's the Revolution, we're taking the Bastille.”
The mayor of Marseille had said additional police were being sent to the city following talks with the prime minister and interior minister.
Around 1,200 arrested including 'extremely dangerous' individuals, says French PM
The number of people arrested on Saturday has increased to 1,200, French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu has said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the arrests include “extremely dangerous profiles”, according to Le Parisien.
Police use water cannon in famous Place de la Republique
A water cannon has been deployed at the famous Place de la République in Paris, with pictures showing violent confrontations between police and masked protesters.
In a post on social media, Paris police wrote: “The procession has set off.
“Several hundred hostile individuals remain at Place de la République to attack law enforcement and emergency services and set everything ablaze.
“Police are using the water cannon to keep them at a distance, proceeding with the dispersal of violent groups and arrests, while @pompiersparis intervene to extinguish the fires.”
Paris police: 'We do not back down in the face of rioters'
Paris police told protestors that they will “not back down” as demonstrations erupted across the capital today.
More than 150 people have been arrested across France, with Paris police firing tear gas at protesters climbing on monuments.
“We do not back down in the face of rioters and those who come to attack the law enforcement forces,” the force wrote on X.
“On Republic, the police are targeted by hostile individuals who have come looking for a fight.
“They face it with courage and professionalism.”
Earlier this morning, police called on protestors to “express their demands calmly and in respect for public order.
“Demonstrating is a right. Disrupting traffic on public roads is not,” the force said.
Police allowed to use stun grenades despite recent criticism
The police have drawn criticism for their response due to a grisly list of injuries among demonstrators, including one adolescent who had his hand blown off after picking up a stun grenade.
Lecornu said more than 900 police had also been injured.
The internal police watchdog is investigating at least two dozen cases of alleged police violence.
France suspended the use of stun grenades for the student demonstrations, but Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said they could be used on Saturday.
"If there were to be clashes, all types of intermediate weapons can be used," he told Telematin TV on Friday.
