The social protests in Francewhich began in September with the student mobilizations and to which this Saturday October 17 new sectors were added, they left 1,200 people arrested and 150 police and members of the Gendarmerie injured.
Given the episodes of violence recorded during the day, the French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornustated that behind the incidents There was a political maneuver.
In an appearance before the press, shortly before midnight this Saturday, during a visit to express his support for law enforcement, Lecornu indicated that his Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, He had instructed prosecutors to request provisional detention for those detained.
The prime minister justified these instructions by pointing out that those arrested presented “particularly violent and dangerous profiles.”
“We cannot allow a minority to destroy and always be the same ones who pay.“, he stated. He also pointed out that in Paris there had been attempts to attack “the centers of power”, such as the Elysée palace, Matignon, the official residence of the prime minister, and the National Assembly.
“Therefore, It is clearly a political maneuver that accepts violence“Lecornu added before stressing that “we will not be intimidated.”
The demonstrations in France were marked by clashes and material damage. Photo:KIRAN RIDLEY
The call of the mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon
The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyonthree of the cities most affected by the destruction and looting, have requested a meeting with Lecornu at the beginning of next week, “given the magnitude of the damage and the seriousness of the situation” related to the acts of violence and vandalism that occurred in their cities on Saturday.
“We demand a precise diagnosis that explains the chain of events that led to this situation. This cannot and must not happen again,” wrote the socialist Emmanuel Grégoire (Paris)the left-wing independent Benoît Payan (Marseille) and the environmentalist Gregory Doucet (Lyon) in a joint statement.
The three elected officials stated that They include all the mayors of the affected municipalities in their initiative.
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The demonstrations that took place throughout the country with a long list of demands and called by a varied conglomerate of groupsstarting with the students, but also members of the ‘yellow vests’ or public service employees, gathered 550,000 peopleaccording to the Government and even more than 800,000, according to the organizers.
Massive attendance (they were 110,000 in Paris aloneaccording to the Ministry of the Interior), which greatly exceeded the expectations of the Executive, which on the eve of this day had indicated that there would be at most 150,000 throughout the country.
Another relative surprise was the level and breadth of violence in many citieswith attacks on public buildings (the one that most marked the destruction by fire of the historic Limoges Town Hall building) and looting of hundreds of businesses.
The riots in France included fires and attacks on public buildings. Photo:GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT
Clashes with law enforcement
The protests against the rising cost of life held this Saturday in France were accompanied by clashes between violent groups and law enforcement, fires and damage or assaults on public buildings and businesses in cities like Paris, Marseille, Lyon or Lille, among others.
However, although many of the marches proceeded normally, violent incidents They focused the attention of the day on Paris, Lyon, Marseille or Lillewhere serious events occurred, especially in these last two cities, where their respective town halls were attacked.
Paris, Lyon and Marseille reported damage during protests in France. Photo:JEFF PACHOUD
Clashes in Paris
In Paris, several hundred people They confronted security forces in the Plaza de la República even before the start of the main demonstration, where masked protesters they faced the law enforcement and set fire to several cars in the area.
In Lyon, the situation worsened in central Bellecour square, where a tourist office was looted and burnedwhile the clashes between violent groups and the police – who used tear gas and a water cannon – occurred in several waves, while the firefighters They found it difficult to access the place to put out the flames and rioters vandalized businesses.
In Marseille, Dozens of protesters forced the doors of City Hall and briefly entered the lobbywhere they caused damage and painted graffiti, before being evicted by the police. During the incident, a bust of Marianne, symbol of the French Republic, was demolished and suffered damage.
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“It is unacceptable to use this type of demands to enter, break and destroy the cement that unites us as a nation,” declared the mayor, Benoit Payanto BFMTVand described the violent ones as “useful fools of the extreme right”, considering that their actions They reinforce their political discourse on insecurity.
In which is the second largest city in France, Damage was caused to vandalized businesses and a municipal police station.
Authorities also reported incidents in Rennes, Toulouse and Angersamong many other cities, including attacks against security forces, looting and burning of street furniture.
At the head of the Parisian march was the leader of The Rebellious France and candidate for the French Presidency, Jean-Luc Mélenchonwho was pointed out by the far-right leader and also rival to the Elysée, Marine Le Pen, for “legitimize violence” and search “plunging the country into chaos.”
Jordan Bardellahis political ally, stated that those responsible for the incidents were the “chaos professionals” and accused the extreme left of discrediting social demands. For his part, Mélenchon criticized television coverage of the riots and highlighted the peaceful nature of numerous concentrations.
The mobilizations in France were related to the cost of living and public cuts. Photo:EFE
A heterogeneous mobilization
The call arose from a viral video posted on TikTok at the beginning of September and gained support as the gasoline prices and the cost of living. Its promoters sought to recover the momentum of the ‘yellow vest’ movement of 2018 and 2019, which marked the first term of French President Emmanuel Macron.
The mobilization brought together students, workers, retirees, farmers, climate activists and anti-fascist militants. Several figures from the original ‘yellow vest’ movement supported the call, which It also coincided with the student protests that began in September to demand better educational conditions.
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For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that there is no “no place for violence” in France, promised punishments for the perpetrators of destruction and looting on this day of protests against the rising cost of life, and called for a “united front” against “those who sow chaos.”
“Those who have destroyed, attacked prefectures and businesses and looted even our town halls, They will be persecuted and punished“Macron wrote in a message on his social networks.
Macron also had words of “support” for law enforcement, “guarantors of the right to demonstrate”and that in recent weeks have been the focus of criticism for the methods used to deal with blockages and student demonstrations They ask for educational improvements.
*With information from EFE
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