France arrests 980 as street clashes resume
Tear gas and water cannons were deployed in Paris and Marseille after a week of relative calm ended in renewed violence across major cities.
By Ayanda Boateng ·
The unrest that had simmered in French cities for weeks returned to the streets on Saturday. By late evening, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that nearly 1,000 people had been arrested as a new wave of nationwide protests turned violent in several locations. The day began with largely peaceful demonstrations, but the mood shifted as crowds gathered in the evening. Police in Paris used tear gas and water cannons to disperse groups near the Porte de Vincennes. In Marseille, barricades caught fire, and in Bordeaux, protesters tore boards from shop fronts.
Authorities aimed to prevent a repeat of the chaos seen a week earlier. Last weekend, more than 2,500 people were arrested and over 2,000 businesses suffered damage. The violence of that period included looting, arson, and the injury of roughly 1,000 police officers. In response, President Emmanuel Macron issued a decree earlier in the week limiting permitted demonstrations to those organized by recognized trade unions. Fast-track court hearings have since resulted in hundreds of jail sentences for vandalism and arson.
The interior ministry estimated that 410,000 people joined the protests on Saturday, while unions claimed the turnout reached 800,000. Approximately 70,000 police officers were deployed across the country to maintain order. Restrictions were imposed in several cities to manage the crowds. The demonstrations focused on the cost of living and poor conditions in schools. Nuñez noted that the figure of 980 arrests would likely rise as reports from the field continued to come in.
In Paris, trouble started after a march from Porte d'Italie ended. An elite police unit usually assigned to counter-terrorism was part of the operation. Protesters built makeshift barricades and threw objects at officers. Police charged with batons at masked youths who smashed windows at a car dealership. Nuñez stated that several thousand radical activists, including around 500 identified rioters, gathered at the rear of the march.
Clashes also occurred in Lyon, where police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd in an area declared off-limits by the local prefecture. One protester, a student, said there were about 150 of them in the group. In Marseille, rubbish bins were set alight and metal sheets blocked streets. Nuñez reported that two people were seriously injured, one in Toulouse and the other in Clermont-Ferrand. The demonstrations in Orléans remained peaceful, with 13,000 people rallying against the National Rally party.
The unrest spread beyond France's borders. Riot police in Tirana, Albania, fired tear gas at anti-government demonstrators. Clashes were reported in Brussels, and in Milan, hundreds of soldiers and police prevented protesters from gathering. These moves followed fears of a repeat of the violence seen in France the previous week.
Protesters expressed frustration with the government's response. A 26-year-old woman in Paris told the BBC that people were suffering a lot. Two masked teenagers said their generation felt abandoned. One of them acknowledged that looting was not good but blamed poverty and police violence. They stated that the protests would continue until their demands were answered.
Presidential elections are scheduled for six months from now. Leading contenders have already begun to blame Macron and his ministers for the unrest. The government faces a test of its ability to manage public dissent as the cost-of-living crisis continues to drive turnout.
