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Protests in France turn violent: Limoges town hall burns, Macron vows punishment
Protests that began with French students spread nationwide on Saturday and turned violent. A 143-year-old town hall was set ablaze in Limoges and shops were looted in Paris and Marseille, while President Emmanuel Macron said those behind the violence would be punished.
The Turkiye Times Editorial DeskUpdated:
A student movement that started in French high schools in September over school conditions merged on Saturday with nationwide demonstrations against the rising cost of living. Backed by the Yellow Vests and trade unions, the protests descended into clashes with police, arson and looting in many cities, including Paris, Limoges, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and Lille.
The CGT, France’s largest union, said around 800,000 people took part, while the Interior Ministry put the turnout at 550,000. According to figures the ministry released in the evening, about 400 people were detained nationwide.
Limoges loses its 143-year-old town hall
The worst scenes came from Limoges. Witnesses said masked protesters first set fire to a police car outside the town hall, then smashed windows, entered the building and started a blaze. The flames quickly engulfed the roof of the historic building.
Maurice Barate, prefect of the Haute-Vienne department that includes Limoges, said the roof had collapsed onto the lower floors except in the west wing and two-thirds of the exterior had disappeared. Saying the 143-year-old building was largely lost, he called the fire a “catastrophe for heritage” and a “deliberate act by hooligans.” Several shops in the city center were also looted.
Clashes near the Élysée in Paris
In Paris, protesters clashed with police near the Élysée Palace. Rue Cambacérès, about 400 meters from the presidential offices, was strewn with stones and a car was overturned. A Le Parisien reporter described the scenes as “urban guerrilla warfare.” Protesters targeted police vehicles in several parts of the capital.
Protesters also forced their way into the town hall of Paris’s 10th arrondissement, where about 100 people attending a “Pink October” breast cancer awareness event were trapped inside for a time. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire condemned the vandalism, stressing that the “vast majority” of demonstrators had marched peacefully, and said: “Entire streets have been ravaged.”
In the evening, a group of protesters climbed the gilded statue of Joan of Arc in Paris, as the crowd gathered in the square filmed them on their phones.
Some demonstrators addressed Macron with a reference to King Louis XVI, who was guillotined during the French Revolution. The crowd chanted: “Let’s cut off the king’s head. Macron, we’ll start again.”
Fnac store looted in Marseille
Dozens of shops were looted in Marseille, and a fire broke out in a sports shoe store. Footage filmed in the city showed a crowd inside a Fnac store carrying away phones, game consoles and headphones.
The looting was not limited to electronics stores. Other footage showed a hooded and masked crowd forcing open the door of a Louis Vuitton store and pouring inside.
In Lyon, a tourist office was set on fire. In Bordeaux, the official residence of the Gironde prefect was ransacked and the RAID police special unit was deployed. In Lille, protesters forced their way into the town hall. In Saint-Étienne, a protester reportedly lost a hand to a police crowd-control grenade.
Scuffles between protesters and police went on for hours in many cities. Police responded with tear gas to groups throwing stones and bottles, and streets filled with debris and smoke.
Firefighters were also targeted during the protests. One video showed a man who attacked firefighters being knocked to the ground and beaten by other protesters.
Macron: “There is no room for violence in our Republic”
In an evening statement, President Emmanuel Macron said: “Those who smash and destroy, who carry out attacks on prefectures and businesses, who loot our town halls will be prosecuted and punished.” He added: “We will stand together against those who sow the seeds of chaos and want nothing but to tear down our institutions. There is no room for violence in our Republic.”
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu claimed that “ultra-left groups” had orchestrated the violence in several cities and said police had faced “violence of extreme intensity.” He warned against using the unrest as a “warm-up” for the presidential election, saying: “We will not be intimidated.”
Movement began in high schools in September
The protests began in mid-September at a high school in the Paris suburb of Créteil, following a teachers’ strike over a lack of resources and staff. Students are protesting teacher shortages, classes of 32 to 35 pupils, run-down school buildings, classrooms that reached 40 degrees Celsius in summer heat waves and the pressure of the Parcoursup university admissions system. Unions blame budget cuts and school closures.
Blockades of school entrances soon spread nationwide, and university students joined in early October. Justice Ministry figures showed more than 5,000 people had been detained by Oct. 6, 87% of them minors. After a 15-year-old in Lens lost a hand to a police grenade, the government suspended the use of stun grenades. Lecornu had asked his ministers to present initial proposals by the end of October.
The movement has also spilled across borders. On Saturday, police in Milan, Italy, used tear gas on protesters, and clashes broke out in the Belgian capital, Brussels. The United Nations had earlier voiced concern over the violence in France.
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