Agencies | Paris:
Violent protests over the cost of living and government spending have erupted across France, with demonstrators torching cars, vandalising public buildings and clashing with riot police. Luxury retail outlets, including Apple, Louis Vuitton and Hermès stores, were among the targets of looting.
According to figures cited in reports, around 550,000 people took part in demonstrations nationwide, including an estimated 110,000 in Paris. What began as student-led protests over education and working conditions escalated into widespread unrest, with shops, businesses and public buildings targeted in several cities.
In Bordeaux, looters smashed the storefronts of high-end retailers, including Apple and luxury fashion houses Louis Vuitton and Hermès. In Paris, masked demonstrators vandalised shops and restaurants, while burning barricades and clashes with security forces added to the disorder.
The unrest also spread to Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Rouen, Nantes and Toulouse, where incidents of arson, vandalism and attacks on public property were reported.
In Lyon, the city’s tourism centre was reportedly set ablaze, while demonstrators allegedly broke into municipal buildings in Marseille and Lille.
According to French broadcaster BFMTV, vandals inside Marseille’s municipal headquarters toppled a bust of Marianne, the national symbol of France, smashed television sets and spray-painted an anarchist symbol on a wall.
Cars were set on fire, and shops and government buildings were attacked in multiple cities. Masked protesters, some wearing goggles and hoods to protect themselves from tear gas, confronted riot police equipped with tear gas and water cannons.
Some demonstrators also threatened to storm the Élysée Palace, the official residence of President Emmanuel Macron, amid growing anger against his government.
The demonstrations brought together students, teachers, trade unions, workers, farmers, retirees and supporters of the Yellow Vest movement. Their demands included action to address rising living costs, increased funding for higher education, better teacher salaries, pension protections and opposition to cuts in public services.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said around 400 people had been arrested nationwide, including 110 in Paris.
Nuñez said some demonstrators had deliberately targeted public buildings and blamed much of the destruction on militants associated with the far left. He maintained that most demonstrations remained peaceful but said violent groups operating on their fringes had turned some protests into scenes of destruction.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also accused far-left organisations of encouraging violence, while saying opportunistic groups had exploited the student unrest to loot shops and damage property.
“Peaceful protests have their full place in our Republic,” Lecornu said. “Looting and attacks have none.”
President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence and vowed that those responsible for vandalism, attacks and looting would face legal consequences.
“There is no place for violence in the Republic. Those who broke, attacked and looted will be brought to justice and punished,” Macron wrote on X, expressing support for law enforcement agencies.
The unrest has intensified pressure on the French government to address public concerns over living costs, public spending and services, while authorities seek to restore order and hold those responsible for the violence accountable.
