France’s protests escalated into serious street battles over the weekend. An eyewitness from Paris reports chaos, destruction and fear.
The protests in France at the weekend were overshadowed by serious riots. In several major cities, demonstrators fought street battles with the police, and barricades were set up and set on fire. According to the Interior Ministry, more than 2,400 people were arrested and almost 1,000 officers were injured.
The self-employed communications consultant Carola Antelme has lived in France for around ten years. The weekend riots took place in the capital Paris partly experienced up close. Antelme reports in the interview what she observed.
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t-online: Ms. Antelme, how did you recently experience the protests in France?
Carola Antelme: It all started with student protests that started in September. The students blocked their schools because the conditions there are so bad. On Saturday this was mixed with a demonstration of people who fundamentally protested against the rising cost of living in France.
Exactly. The original protests suddenly turned into something completely different that no longer had anything to do with these concerns. The earlier demonstrators were hardly noticed anymore. Instead, there was a criminal, violent rampage of destruction.
To person
Carola Antelme (51) has lived in France for around ten years. There she works as an independent communications consultant. Antelme previously worked as a journalist in Germany, among other things.
I can only refer to official information. According to the Interior Ministry and the police, who have now analyzed the events, the so-called Black Bloc – the extreme left-wing scene – and young people from problem areas are said to have been involved.
How did Saturday go in Paris?
It became apparent relatively early on that something could happen. In some cases, subways did not go to the large Saint-Lazare train station because, according to the drivers, there was already tear gas everywhere. In the evening, friends warned my husband and me not to drive because the police had cordoned off everything. We only found out about the riots on Saturday evening from television reports. However, we saw the massive destruction impressively on Sunday.
What did you find in the capital?
We drove near the Place de la République – and I was really shocked. It’s different to see the damage on social media than in reality: there was a burnt-out car every few meters, and burnt rental bikes lay everywhere, some with batteries. The burning batteries had caused such intense heat that the heat had eaten into the asphalt. The asphalt around the outside had melted away, creating real holes. It still smelled of fire. There were destroyed shutters or torn-down blinds everywhere. Broken glass was piled up on the sidewalks.
