France Struggles to Recover from Worst Violence in Years
France woke up to scenes of destruction on Sunday after protests over the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services turned into severe violence. One protester died, hundreds of police officers were injured, and nearly 1,800 people were arrested. The unrest was among the most violent the country had experienced in recent years.
According to Reuters, protests across France on Saturday suddenly descended into riots. Clashes between angry crowds and police erupted in several cities, with town halls set on fire, shops vandalised and buildings covered in spray-painted graffiti.
A protester died of a heart attack during the demonstrations in Paris. Police arrested a record 855 people in the capital alone. The interior minister said more than 500 police officers were injured across the country. ‘It is like a battlefield,’ said Dutch entrepreneur Taije de Boer. He had travelled to Paris with his children to visit a friend. However, after Place de la République was severely damaged on Saturday, he was forced to leave his hotel and seek safety elsewhere.
Public anger over the high cost of living and declining public services merged with a month-long student movement, drawing more than 550,000 people onto the streets of cities across France. President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation at 8:00 pm local time (18:00 GMT) on Sunday, his office said.
Hundreds of Shops Damaged
Although hundreds of thousands of people protested peacefully, radical groups targeted government buildings, looted luxury boutiques and supermarkets, and attacked police vehicles and officers. Major clean-up operations began across the country, from Lille in the north and Marseille in the south to Strasbourg in the east and Bordeaux in the southwest. In Bordeaux, masked individuals broke into the local prefect’s residence and went on a rampage.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said hundreds of shops were damaged during Saturday’s violence. In Paris, shattered glass, burnt bicycles and slogans sprayed across walls illustrated how quickly a peaceful protest had descended into chaos. In Limoges, a city in southwestern France, Mayor Guillaume Guérin strongly condemned the violence after the city’s 143-year-old historic town hall was set on fire and partially destroyed. The incident revived memories of the devastating 2019 fire at Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral.
“The arson attack on the town hall was completely planned, and the people inside feared for their lives,” Mr. Guérin told Reuters. He threatened to resign if he did not receive €1 million to repair the building. The unrest has intensified pressure on President Macron and his government ahead of next year’s presidential election. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu blamed far-left groups and criminals for the violence.
In a statement on Sunday, Finance Minister Roland Lescure promised support for affected businesses. He said, “Those who carried out the destruction must pay compensation, repair the damage and be held accountable for creating disorder.”
Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said around 100 shops had been looted in his city. Meanwhile, Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan announced emergency financial assistance for businesses affected by the violence. Alexandre Bompard, chief executive of French retailer Carrefour, told BFM TV that 50 of the company’s stores had been damaged, including 20 that were looted. The total losses are expected to exceed tens of millions of euros.
The protests began last month over poor school conditions and teacher shortages in suburban areas. They gradually grew into a broader mass movement against inequality, public spending cuts and the rising cost of living.
Source: Reuters
