Police clash with protesters across Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg; hundreds arrested

Police clashed with demonstrators in Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg as protests over the rising cost of living spread across France, the Ministry of the Interior said. Authorities used tear gas and batons in several cities while hundreds of people were detained nationwide.

Scenes of unrest in multiple cities

The first confrontations occurred as nationwide rallies were held. In Marseille protesters tried to storm a police station and looted shops, while in Lyon the building housing the tourist office was set on fire, the Interior Ministry reported. In Paris roughly 100 people were arrested for carrying weapons and other prohibited items, according to the prefecture; officials also said hundreds more were detained around the country.

By midday the Interior Ministry had registered 140 protest gatherings across France with 32,800 participants, and said that 166 people had been arrested nationally so far. Authorities had anticipated up to 170,000 demonstrators across the country, including between 30,000 and 60,000 in Paris, and marches were planned in the early afternoon in the capital and many other cities.

The ministry said there was a strong mobilisation by far-left groups it believes intended to provoke disorder. Masked individuals carried out targeted violent attacks, particularly in Paris, Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers. Officials reported attempts at looting, attacks on police officers, arson in public places and directed assaults on authorities and the media.

Media outlets reported that about 100 masked people blocked access to the right-wing television channel CNews in Paris; the same building also houses the Europe 1 radio station. Students and pupils had also planned to join the day of protests after three weeks of student-led demonstrations demanding better learning conditions and improved school equipment.

President Emmanuel Macron the previous evening urged citizens to demonstrate peacefully and appealed to protesters to show “respect for people and property.” The call for protests — spread via social media and not clearly attributable to any single organisation — also highlighted rising fuel prices, low wages, a large number of people working for low pay, and problems in agriculture and firefighting services. There were also calls to revive the “yellow vests” movement; the government fears the demonstrations could prompt a broader wave of unrest similar to 2019.

Photo: Geti)