French police clash with protesters as living-cost demonstrations spread
French authorities reported 140 demonstrations involving 32,800 people outside Paris by midday on Saturday as protests over living costs and public services led to clashes.
Paris, France. Thousands demonstrated across France on Saturday over living costs and public services, with police using tear gas during confrontations in several cities. The protests were among the most violent the country had experienced in years.
Authorities report unrest across several cities
By midday, French authorities had counted 140 demonstrations outside Paris, with participation totalling 32,800. They attributed the unrest to the ultra-left.
The Interior Ministry reported violence in several cities, citing vandalism in Marseille and attacks on police, media outlets and public buildings.
Marseille’s mayor said vandals had damaged the town hall. Following discussions with the prime minister and interior minister, additional officers were being deployed to the city, the mayor said.
In central Paris, police were deployed in large numbers, particularly around the Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe. Neither landmark was included on the routes approved for the two authorised demonstrations.
School grievances broaden into wider movement
The movement originated last month in high schools in impoverished suburbs north of Paris. Frustration over insufficient teachers and deteriorating facilities subsequently widened into demands concerning inequality, government spending and living standards.
Demonstrators wearing high-visibility vests obstructed streets, evoking the Yellow Vest protests that characterised President Emmanuel Macron’s preceding term.
Lola, a Paris demonstrator aged 19, said: “We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh, because the price of fuel is too high, because high school pupils are being violently attacked and hurt all over the country just for trying to protest and ask for more teachers and decent learning conditions,”
A Reuters witness reported that around 100 people approached the demonstrations’ starting point while chanting “All cops are bastards”.
Macron faces mounting economic pressure
Macron appealed for calm on Friday. His presidency is approaching its final phase against a backdrop of political fragmentation and increasing pressure over economic conditions.
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