Cost-of-living protests across France turn violent, with looting and arson

Violent clashes, fires and looting marred demonstrations across France on Saturday as hundreds of thousands of people marched against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools, The Associated Press reported. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 110 marches drew about 550,000 people. Organizers, including the CGT labor union and students' organizations, said about 800,000 took to the streets. [ 4 , 6 , 16 ]

In Paris, police fired tear gas and water cannons at people in hoods and masks who threw fireworks, paving stones and other objects at officers in the Place de la République, according to AP. AP reporters saw vehicles and trash bins on fire, a burning newspaper kiosk and several looted shops, and many metro stations were closed at police request. Paris police said groups of several hundred to more than 1,000 people formed unauthorized marches across the centre, and that by late afternoon large numbers of people arrived whose sole aim was to steal and loot. Paris police said 855 people were arrested in the capital region and that the Paris march drew about 110,000 people. [ 4 , 16 ]

Authorities said masked groups attacked public buildings, including city halls, in several cities. In Limoges, flames engulfed the City Hall and its roof collapsed; the Haute-Vienne prefect, Maurice Barate, told LCI television the fire was deliberately set. The New York Times said a tourist office in Lyon was set on fire during the unrest. Nuñez pointed to the looting of hundreds of businesses in cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux. He said about 400 people had been arrested nationwide, while CBS News later reported at least 1,800 arrests across France. [ 4 , 6 , 8 ]

Nuñez described the troublemakers as "extremely violent, radical far-left groups" who sought confrontations with police, later joined by offenders willing to loot. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said arson, looting and attacks have no place in the Republic. Macron wrote on X that there is no place for violence and that those responsible would be prosecuted and punished. He held an emergency meeting on Sunday afternoon and then addressed the nation, pointing to "insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals." The New York Times reported that centrist and leftist leaders blamed each other. [ 4 , 6 , 13 , 16 ]

CNN reported that the protests were started by students and had been going on for nearly a month, and that Yellow Vests were present at the demonstrations. Jean-Luc Mélenchon's La France Insoumise backed the student movement, and taxi drivers staged rolling roadblocks around Paris airports. The Boston Globe said Saturday's mobilization followed calls on social media to revive the yellow vest movement. Bloomberg said the unrest drew a reaction from US Vice President JD Vance. Business Insider reported that cost-of-living protests also took place in other European cities, including Lisbon, Brussels and Milan. [ 2 , 5 , 14 , 21 ]

Fox News reported that an internal State Department document warned that antifascist protests near Marine Le Pen's National Rally congress in Orléans could spark new unrest. [ 24 ]