Serious riots in France-wide protests

New yellow vest movement?

Serious riots in France-wide protests

Tear gas in Paris, looted shops in Marseille and a burning tourist information center in Lyon: protests against the high cost of living are escalating. What’s behind the anger?

On a France-wide day of protest against the high cost of living, it’s in Paris and other cities there were serious riots, looting and numerous arrests. As the Interior Ministry announced, several uncontrolled demonstrations in Paris tried to move towards state authorities. The law enforcement officers intervened systematically to prevent these movements and to secure the institutional locations. By the afternoon, 272 arrests had already been made across the country.

As the Interior Ministry announced, the police remain on high alert to contain violent groups, protect public buildings and prevent looting. Already in the morning emergency services were in Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg and other major cities used tear gas and batons against protesters. Water cannons were also used.

In Marseilles Demonstrators tried to break into a police station, gained access to the town hall and looted shops. In Lyon, the tourist information office was set on fire and there was damage to shops. According to the Interior Ministry, the fire brigade was prevented from taking action by rioters. In Avignon, rioters broke into the inner courtyard of the prefecture and in Grenoble there was damage to the town hall.

According to the Paris police prefecture, around 100 people were arrested in the capital for carrying weapons and other prohibited items.

Various groups joined the day of protest, which had been announced for some time, including schoolchildren and students who have been demonstrating for better learning conditions for weeks. The call for protest, which cannot be clearly assigned to any organization and was spread via social media, was also about high fuel prices, low wages, the large number of low-wage workers and problems in agriculture and the fire department.

There was also a call on the Internet with an unclear originator for a new edition of the so-called yellow vest movement. The government’s concern is that the demonstrations will actually become a spark for such broader protests. The yellow vest protest, so called because many of those involved wore yellow high-visibility vests, had France 2019 was kept in suspense for a long time and spread like a wildfire out of nowhere.

The trigger at the time was a planned increase in taxes on fuel. This quickly gave rise to a broader movement against the high cost of living and social injustice, which President Emmanuel Macron had a hard time during his first term in office.