Mass protests turn violent as fires and looting sweep across France

International

BURNING vehicles, looted businesses and damaged public buildings marked a night of unrest across France as demonstrations over rising living costs escalated into violent clashes, prompting more than 1,200 arrests and leaving 150 police officers injured, authorities said Sunday.

The violence spread across major cities, including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and Lille, following weeks of student protests and months before elections to replace President Emmanuel Macron.

According to an AFP report, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said that the entire streets in the capital “have been devastated” as masked groups torched parked cars and ransacked shops.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu condemned the “extreme intensity” of the violence, warning that the consequences could have been worse. Police used tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators who threw projectiles and fireworks.

In the southern city of Saint-Etienne, a 17-year-old boy lost his right hand after a crowd-control grenade exploded.

The demonstrations drew an estimated 550,000 people nationwide, according to the Interior Ministry, while the CGT trade union put attendance at 800,000. After the marches, groups of youths attacked closed businesses, breaking windows and emptying shelves.

Supermarkets, pharmacies, luxury boutiques and electronics stores were among the establishments looted in Paris, Nice, Nantes, Toulouse and other cities.

AFP reporters in Paris witnessed masked men disconnecting security cameras before smashing shop windows.

Public buildings also suffered extensive damage. In Limoges, a fire largely destroyed the city’s town hall, a structure more than 140 years old, after masked protesters reportedly broke in. Town halls in Marseille and Lille were vandalised, while a police compound in Bordeaux and a tourist office in Lyon were also targeted.

The unrest triggered political reactions at home and abroad. US Vice President JD Vance blamed immigration for the violence in a post on X, arguing that Western countries had neglected questions of assimilation and cultural compatibility.

Macron vowed that those responsible for vandalism, attacks on public offices and businesses, and looting

would face prosecution.

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen accused the movement of her rival, Jean-Luc Melenchon, of legitimising violence. Melenchon, who supported the protests, urged demonstrators to avoid looting.

Organized by the Yellow Vest movement, the demonstrations focused on rising living costs, stagnant wages and increasing rents, alongside broader grievances over economic inequality and political leadership.

In Strasbourg, teacher Regine Monfroid said workers were struggling to make ends meet as housing expenses continued to climb.

In Paris, protesters demanded Macron’s resignation, while demonstrators in several cities invoked the French Revolution of 1789. The unrest has intensified political tensions as France approaches its presidential election.(MyTVCebu)