Arrests rise to 1,800 in France
More than 1,800 people have been arrested in France over protests on Saturday, the country’s interior minister Laurent Nunez has said.
Nunez, in a post on X, said “the Republic will not yield” as more than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters have been injured in the demonstrations.
“The material damage is considerable,” Nunez added, pointing to damaged shops.
He blamed thousands of “far-left” protesters along with “criminals who looted and ransacked” buildings across France.
“The Republic will yield nothing to those who seek to impose disorder and violence,” he said.
In the post he said
double quotation markProtesting is a fundamental right.
Causing disorder through violence and in a coordinated manner is not.
Attacking our law enforcement officers, targeting our institutions, damaging public buildings, breaking into prefectures or town halls, and looting businesses – none of this can be justified.
Following the events of 17 October – which, in some cities, continued late into the night-I wish to express my sincere gratitude and full support to the police officers, gendarmes, and firefighters who intervened under extreme conditions all across France.
By midday – and as early as the morning in Marseille – thousands of far-left individuals, intent on attacking public buildings and confronting our law enforcement, began committing acts of violence.
They were subsequently joined by criminals who looted and ransacked numerous businesses in several French cities, including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, Limoges, and many others.
As of now, 1,800 people have been arrested, and investigations are already under way to identify the perpetrators so that they may be held accountable before the justice system.
At this stage, more than 500 police officers, gendarmes, and firefighters have been injured amid this violence.
Sadly, this casualty count is only provisional. The material damage is substantial, affecting, among others, hundreds of business owners.
The Republic will not yield to those who seek to impose disorder and violence.
Key events
It’s important to note that protests have also been taking place across Europe.
In Italy rioters clashed with police, looted stores and set property on fire in central Milan on Saturday.
The demonstration escalated after a march against wars and rising living costs began peacefully.
However masked protesters threw stones, paving blocks and other objects at riot police and set fire to barricades made from bar tables. Images of the aftermath showed a severely damaged carabinieri car.
Police used water cannons and teargas to disperse the crowds.
At least two police officers were injured and about 50 demonstrators, including many minors, were detained, the LaPresse news agency reported.
Meanwhile more peaceful protests took place in Portugal, with activists making calls for action to stop rising housing and living costs.
Hundreds of people gathered at Rossio Square in its capital, Lisbon, after a march that had seen thousands take to the streets across the country.
Reports from Agence France-Presse said the group in Lisbon vowed to stay overnight as they gathered around a statue of King Pedro IV in the square.
“The Portuguese social class that pays taxes, that which keeps this country going, is under attack and is losing its rights, notably its right to housing,” said Elena Costa, a 46-year-old social assistant.
Here’s a selection of photographs from the protests on Saturday and their aftermath, including the City Hall in Limoges.
The prefect on Sunday said the blaze in the 143-year-old building had been contained.
Limoges city hall ablaze on 17 October after a group of individuals forced entry into the building during ongoing protest action against the “high cost of living”. Photograph: Pascal Lachenaud/AFP/Getty ImagesOnlookers watch as a fire burns and destroys part of the City Hall in Limoges. Photograph: Melaine Payzal/AFP/Getty ImagesMunicipal workers clean a street covered on debris a day after nationwide protests against the “high cost of living”, in Marseille on Sunday. Photograph: Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty ImagesA protester covered with the French flag stands next to a fire while looking at the Eiffel Tower in the background during a demonstration against the “high cost of living”, in Paris on Saturday. Photograph: Guillaume Saligot/AFP/Getty ImagesA police officer covered in paint walks near a fire during a demonstration against the “high cost of living”, in Montpellier, southern France. Photograph: Sylvain Thomas/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
In case you are still catching up with the news from yesterday, my colleagues Kim Willsher and William Christou have this report.
More than 1,200 people were arrested in France on Saturday after protesters supporting high school students clashed with police, with some demonstrations later spiralling out of control as buildings were set ablaze and shops looted.
Police fired teargas in confrontations with protesters, as demonstrations across France were boosted by other groups angry about high prices and the fraying of a social welfare system. While hundreds of thousands protested peacefully in street marches in scores of cities, violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, luxury boutiques and supermarkets and attacked police vehicles and officers.
Late on Saturday, prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said 1,200 people had been arrested and 150 police hurt.
Interior minister Laurent Nuñez said the official demonstration had been hijacked by casseurs – “opportunistic delinquents who had seen a chance to pillage and loot … we will find them and deal with them firmly”.
Read more…
ShareRecord numbers arrested in Paris
Police in Paris arrested a “record figure” of 855 people during the protests on Saturday.
Agence France-Presse reported the number detained was the highest ever for a single event.
The figure forms part of the 1,200 arrested across France, as prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said 150 police had been hurt in clashes.
Meanwhile Deputy Mayor of Paris Lamia El Aaraje said the capital had been hit by “a level of violence that I believe we had never seen before”.
Updated at 04.18 EDT
Opening summary
France is recovering after its worst protests in years saw buildings attacked and set ablaze across the country.
More than 1,200 people were arrested in the demonstrations on Saturday, which began with protests from students over the cost of living.
However violent fringe groups came out in support of the students, which saw events spiralling out of control.
Whole streets in Paris “have been devastated”, the city’s mayor, Emmanuel Gregoire, said.
Meanwhile in Limoges, central France, the town hall was “largely lost” to a fire set by masked protesters, the top regional official told the AFP news agency.
Authorities in France are now waiting to see if protests will go into another day. The protests began last month at schools in the poor northern suburbs of Paris, where anger over teacher absences and shabby facilities quickly morphed into a nationwide movement against inequality, weak public spending and falling standards.
We will be following events in France and bringing you any reaction as it comes in.