France after day of protest: 1,200 arrests, Macron vows tough punishment
About 550,000 people took to the streets against the high cost of living, according to the Interior Ministry. On the sidelines, there was looting, arson and attacks on town halls.
Photo: Jorge Jaramillo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Saturday’s nationwide day of protest in France descended into serious rioting. According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, about 550,000 people took part in rallies in numerous cities, while the CGT union put the figure at 800,000. Unions, yellow vests and high school students protested together against rising living costs and fuel prices and for better schools. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu reported about 1,200 arrests and more than 150 injured police officers in the evening; earlier Interior Ministry figures had put arrests at around 400.
According to Euronews and Reuters, dozens of shops were looted in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux and Lille, and cars burned in Paris. In Marseille and Lille, protesters broke into the town halls; in Lyon, the tourist office was set on fire, and in Limoges the historic town hall. In Saint-Étienne, a protester lost a hand to a police grenade, according to a police source cited by AFP. Paris police used tear gas and water cannons. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said “entire streets were devastated” in the capital region.
President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X: “No place for violence in our Republic.” Those who attacked prefectures, shops and town halls would be prosecuted and punished, he said. Lecornu blamed the “ultra-left” and criminals for the violence, saying peaceful demonstrations had their place, but arson and looting did not. The UNSA police union complained that officers were being used as “punching bags.” The protests come as the government seeks to push an austerity budget through a parliament without a majority; a successor to Macron will be elected in about six months.