What is known about the protests in France? Mainstream
In France, a nationwide protest took place, it was attended by 550 thousand to 800,000 people. The protests were accompanied by clashes with police, looting and vandalism. What happened during the action - in the material RBC
On Saturday, October 17, a nationwide protest was held in France, which was a continuation of the recent protests of high school students in the country. This time, the consolidated demands of the dissenters were the immediate resolution of the economic crisis and the revision of the social policy of the state.
How many people participated in the protests
According to the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), the number of protesters reached 800 thousand people, which several times exceeded the most daring forecasts of the authorities. There were 1,750 meetings and demonstrations across the country.
At the same time, the head of the interior Ministry of France Lauren Nunes gave another assessment – according to the Ministry, about 550 thousand people took part in the action, of which 110,000 participated in the protests in Paris, and in total 110 rallies took place in the country.
Initially, authorities predicted that between 60,000 and 110,000 people would take part in the protests in major cities.
Clashes with police
In Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities of France clashed with the police. The police used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons against the protesters.
A number of lawyers and human rights groups have accused law enforcement of injuring protesters “as in war.” One teenager also lost his arm after picking up a stun grenade.
According to the Interior Ministry, at least 400 people were detained across the country by Saturday evening. “But this is only preliminary data,” said the head of the department Laurent Nunes.
According to Jacques Witkowski, prefect of the Bush-du-Rhone department, 107 police officers were injured in Marseille alone.
Pogroms and looting
In Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille and other cities of France, numerous cases of damage to public and private property, arson of cars and city facilities were recorded; In Marseille, protesters stormed the city hall, shouting: “It’s a revolution, we’re taking the Bastille!” Also in the city looted a large number of outlets – clothing stores, optics, jewelry salons, as well as boutiques of luxury brands. According to Jacques Witkowski, there were between 7,000 and 8,000 looters operating in the city. Robberies were also recorded in Paris, Lille, Bordeaux and many other cities in France. In Lyon, protesters destroyed and set fire to the office of a travel agency located in a nineteenth-century building. In Lille also broke into the city hall; In Limoges, a hotel building was set on fire.
Government response
French authorities condemned the violence by the protesters. Heads of cities in which the riots took place noted that those engaged in vandalism and looting betray people who came out to peaceful protest. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu blamed the unrest on "far-left" groups and warned that "no one will advance their political agenda through violence.".
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to hold accountable those responsible for pogroms and riots at protests. "We will all be united in confronting the sowers of chaos who seek only to destroy our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so," he wrote in X.
Politicians' reactions
Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing National Rally party, said the "pogroms" had "poisoned" the demonstration, accusing far-left forces of "taking legitimate social discontent hostage again.".
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, head of the far-left Unconquered France party, said the protests were peaceful despite numerous reports of clashes with police, looting, arson and violence. He accused the government of “opening the gates of chaos.”.
