Demonstrations in France against the rising cost of living

PARIS (AP) — Violent clashes, fires and looting marred protests across France Saturday as hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated against the rising cost of living and poor conditions in schools. About 400 people were arrested across the country, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.

Nuñez said 110 marches attracted about 550,000 people across the country. Organizers, including the CGT union and student organizations, said around 800,000 protesters took to the streets.

Nuñez described the troublemakers as “extremely violent radical far-left groups” who he said sought to confront police and target public buildings, including city halls and local government offices. He said these groups were joined by offenders ready to loot stores. Most of those arrested are adults, he said.

Certain incidents continued on Saturday evening in the center of Paris.

“There is no place for violence in our Republic,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a message on X. “Those who vandalized property, attacked government offices and businesses and even looted our town halls will be prosecuted and punished.”

“We will remain united against those who sow chaos… and who prevent people from peacefully expressing their demands,” Macron added.

Fires and looting hit Paris and other cities

In Paris, police fired tear gas and water cannons to push back people wearing balaclavas and masks and threw fireworks, paving stones and other objects at officers in Place de la République, northeast of downtown Paris.

Associated Press journalists saw thick black smoke rising from cars, bicycles and other vehicles, as well as burning trash cans. A newsstand also burned, while several stores were looted. Several people were injured during the clashes.

Many metro stations were closed on Saturday at the request of police, including those around the Champs-Elysées and near the presidential palace, Parliament and government offices.

Meanwhile, the majority of peaceful protesters joined a march that headed northwest from Paris. The crowd chanted the French national anthem and waved flags, and some people played trumpets and violins.

In Lyon, France’s third largest city where around 20,000 demonstrators joined the march, a fire broke out in a tourist office.

In the southern port city of Marseille, some stores and a municipal police station were damaged, while protesters briefly forced their way into the lobby of city hall.

Nuñez also reported violence by masked groups against administrative buildings in Bordeaux, attempted break-ins in the town halls of Lille and Calais and in a police station in Brest. Violence also broke out in Rennes, Toulouse, Montpellier and Grenoble, among other cities.

In Limoges, a medium-sized town in central France, the town hall was burned down. The flames were still raging Saturday evening.

The cost of living and school conditions fuel anger

Protesters across France responded to calls on social networks to relaunch the “yellow vest” movementborn in 2018 against social injustice. Protesters have expressed frustration and anger at the government as gasoline, energy and food prices have soared in recent months.

Sonia Mabrouk, 40, says she came from a western suburb of Paris with her daughter, a high school student, to protest against “everything that is wrong”, in particular the neglect of public services. Mabrouk, who participated in the Yellow Vest protests, criticized “policies that favor the rich and always hit the poorest in their wallets.”

Many protesters could be seen wearing the fluorescent yellow vests that have become a symbol of the 2018 rallies. “There is a general feeling of frustration and anger,” Mabrouk said, as she marched alongside peaceful demonstrators of all ages.

Student groups protesting against the school blockade since mid-September have urged their supporters to join them.

The CGT, one of France’s main unions, also supported the protests, calling for “higher wages and pensions, lower prices and the protection of public services that meet the needs of citizens.”

Far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc MélenchonWHO supported the high school student movement, also participated in the Paris demonstration on Saturday.

Protester’s injury reignites police scrutiny

Authorities opened an investigation after a young protester was seriously injured Saturday and lost a hand in Saint-Etienne, Nuñez said. He refused to confirm French media reports that the injury was caused by a police grenade explosion.

The incident comes as police have undergone careful scrutiny for their use of grenades and other riot control weapons during recent protests.

In recent weeks, France has seen thousands of arrests, hundreds of injuries and schools burned as the new school year has devolved into nationwide student protests that are influencing developments in the country. campaign for the presidential election and attract international attention.

Among the demonstrators, particularly gruesome injuries suffered by some teenagers were blamed on police riot weapons. Nuñez suspended police use of a type of stun grenade against protesters at a high school after a 15-year-old lost his hand. But the suspension does not apply to other demonstrations, in particular those organized on Saturday.