Paris, Oct 17 (EFE).- Protests against the rising cost of living in France were marred by clashes between groups of demonstrators and security forces, fires and attacks on public buildings and businesses in several cities on Saturday, including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and Lille.
Tens of thousands of people took part in demonstrations across the country, with the CGT union putting the nationwide turnout at 500,000.
The demonstration, held six months before the presidential election, called for action on inflation, fuel prices and declining purchasing power.
Although many marches proceeded peacefully, violent incidents dominated the day in several cities, particularly Lyon and Marseille, where protesters entered public buildings.
The Interior Ministry reported 272 arrests nationwide by 3 p.m. local time (1 p.m. GMT).
In Paris, several hundred people clashed with security forces at Place de la République even before the main demonstration began. Masked protesters confronted police and set fire to several cars in the area.
The authorized march later reached Place de Clichy, following its planned route, while other groups moved through the capital without permission.
One group attempted to approach the Élysée Palace, an area where demonstrations are expressly prohibited.
Authorities deployed CRS 8, a police unit specializing in responding to urban violence, to deal with the unauthorized groups.
In Lyon, tensions escalated at central Place Bellecour, where a tourist office was looted and set on fire.
Clashes between groups of protesters and police erupted in several waves, with officers using tear gas and water cannon.
Firefighters struggled to reach the area to extinguish the blaze as demonstrators vandalized businesses.
In Marseille, dozens of demonstrators forced their way through the doors of city hall and briefly entered the lobby, causing damage and scrawling graffiti before police evicted them.
A bust of Marianne, a symbol of the French Republic, was knocked over and damaged during the incident.
“It is unacceptable to use this type of claim to enter, break and destroy the foundations that unite us as a nation,” Mayor Benoît Payan told BFMTV.
He described the violent protesters as “useful idiots of the far right”, arguing that their actions reinforced the far right’s political narrative on insecurity.
Marseille, France’s second-largest city, also reported damage to businesses and a municipal police station.
Payan, a left-wing mayor, said President Emmanuel Macron had promised to send police reinforcements immediately, including two additional riot-police units.
The first serious incident of the day occurred early in Rouen, where a fire that damaged the facade of a university building was being investigated as a possible criminal act.
Authorities also reported incidents in Rennes, Toulouse, Angers and other cities, including attacks on security forces, looting and fires involving street furniture.
Ahead of the protests, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had mobilized 10,000 police officers and gendarmes nationwide, including 5,000 in Paris, amid fears that violence could spread.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was scheduled to convene an interministerial crisis meeting at 5 p.m. local time (3 p.m. GMT).
The Paris march was led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise and a presidential candidate.
Marine Le Pen, a far-right leader and potential rival in the presidential race, accused him of “legitimizing violence” and seeking to “plunge the country into chaos”.
Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s political ally and successor at the head of the National Rally, described those responsible for the violence as “professionals of chaos” and accused the far left of discrediting legitimate social demands.
Mélenchon, meanwhile, criticised television coverage of the unrest and emphasised that many demonstrations had remained peaceful.
A diverse mobilization
The protest call emerged from a viral video posted on TikTok in early September and gained momentum amid rising fuel prices and the broader cost-of-living squeeze.
Organizers sought to revive the momentum of the “yellow vest” movement of 2018 and 2019, which challenged Macron during his first term.
The mobilization brought together students, workers, retirees, farmers, climate activists and anti-fascist militants. Several figures associated with the original yellow vest movement backed the call, which also coincided with student protests that began in September over educational conditions. EFE
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