Day of Fury in France: raids on buildings, fires, and more than 1,200 arrested in mass protests with cross-accusations between the government and the left

"Day of Fury" in France: building assaults, fires, and more than 1,200 arrested in massive protests with cross-accusations between the government and the left - Author, Newsroom - Author's Title, BBC News World - Publication Date - Reading Time: 8 min Fires in the streets of Paris continue on Saturday night, following a "day of fury" across France with clashes between the police and demonstrators protesting against education, high prices, and the deterioration of the welfare state. The government of Emmanuel Macron has blamed the "far-left" for mobilizing Saturday's protests, ahead of the presidential elections in April, while the leader of the main left-wing party accused him of "playing with fire" by "provoking chaos" in the streets. The police deployed tear gas in response to protests involving between half a million and 800,000 people who came out to express their dissatisfaction. The main demonstration is taking place in the French capital. But in the city of Limoges, 400 kilometers to the south, firefighters are unable to contain the fire devouring the city hall building. The local prefecture reported that two-thirds of the facade had already disappeared and that the building was, at this point, "largely lost". The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, told journalists that an intrusion and a fire caused within the building had taken place. A wide variety of groups have joined in across the country following student protests recorded over several weeks. The demonstrations began last month in schools in the poor peripheral neighborhoods of northern Paris, where indignation over the absence of teachers and the poor state of facilities quickly transformed into a nationwide movement against inequality, scarce public investment, and the deterioration of educational standards. Among the demonstrators are the "yellow vests"—known for protesting against rising fuel prices—as well as unions and young people. On this Saturday, there was an "escalation of violence," and more than 1,200 people were arrested across France, the government reported. Damage has been recorded at a police station in Marseille, where images also show flames and masked people in the streets. The prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, the department where Marseille is located, stated that 107 police officers were injured—three of them "very seriously"— during the "looting and violence" in the city. In Lyon, in eastern France, demonstrators set fire to the tourist office, informing the news agency AFP and local media. Images show the demonstrators in front of the burning building, with fire both inside and outside. They also destroyed several windows. Local police said that "hostile individuals" were preventing firefighters from safely extinguishing the fire, while police officers worked to "disperse the violent groups". "Many of the buildings around us have been destroyed, and we have seen some demonstrators looting and throwing glass bottles, which further exacerbates the chaos," reported BBC journalist Adina Campbell from Paris. "The demonstrators, some of whom came from the peripheral neighborhoods with the intention of causing disturbances, are still confronting the police," she added. "There is no room for violence" In response to the incidents, French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that "there is no room for violence" in his country. In a social media post, he wrote that those who "have destroyed and attacked" prefectures and businesses and "looted" city halls will be "tried and punished". "We will all stand together against the sowers of chaos, who only seek to tear down our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so," he added. For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, stated during a television address that the police contributed to the peaceful demonstrations being able to take place by containing violent demonstrators. Nuñez criticized the figures of the "far-right" who "openly incited the revolt" and stated that they will have to assume responsibility for the chaos that occurred in the streets of France on Saturday. The French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, assured that the country will not be "intimidated". "To those who clearly intend to use this violence as a 'warm-up' before the presidential elections, I tell them frankly: we will not be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence," he expressed. Lecornu blamed the left for "giving excuses" to violent demonstrators, praised the police officers for confronting "extreme violence," and added that they deserve the support of the citizenry. On the other side, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the main left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), accused the French Prime Minister of exacerbating the conflict. "He played with fire. Believing that everything would rot, all he has achieved is to unite all of youth and workers' unions. Furthermore, his orders for savage repression (...) have unleashed an unprecedented mobilization in the country," Mélenchon wrote on social media. "By getting involved with me in a political controversy, he shows that he is not a man of state. He is merely a subordinate provoking a regime crisis. Does he not realize the damage he is causing? Does he not have anything better to do, at this moment, than get entangled in this political dispute and give moral lessons?" Regarding police action, he pointed out that "the government has sown chaos with its absurd and incompetent decisions". Vandalism and Looting According to the BBC correspondent in Paris, Hugh Schofield, there was a clear contrast between the official demonstration, which went from Place de la République to Place de Clichy, and what happened and is happening in several other parts of the capital. The main march, he pointed out, "seemed to proceed peacefully; however, small groups of demonstrators were wandering all over the capital, some clearly determined to cause disturbances". This was at least what was recorded in the early hours of the day. But the situation became more confusing and violent as the hours passed. Schofield points out that "this is reminiscent of the first days of the 'yellow vest' movement eight years ago, when the violence of these small, uncontrolled groups proved too much for the police". In Tolon, in southern France, local authorities indicate that "several acts of violence" took place in front of the procession. Two police officers were injured by projectiles, while "violent individuals" also dismantled the fences of a Christmas market and used them against the police, the authorities add. Violent acts have also been recorded on the fringes of a demonstration in Caen, in the Normandy region, where, according to local authorities, some groups dedicated themselves to "looting and committing acts of vandalism". They threw stones and painted graffiti on several public buildings in the city. They used a jackhammer to force open a police barrier and caused damage to two police vehicles, according to the authorities. Marine Le Pen, presidential candidate for the far-right party National Rally (RN) of France, accused the "rioters" of "poisoning" the demonstrations of this Saturday across the country. The demands of the demonstrators have been "hijacked by the far-left," he wrote on his social media, and added that the groups that legitimize violence "seek to plunge the country into chaos". Earlier, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), pointed out that "everything is unfolding calmly" in the protests. Analysis by the BBC correspondent in Paris, Hugh Schofield The question to be asked about the French protests is the following: are they simply the latest version of the custom, so common in the country, of protesting in the streets, or is something deeper and more significant happening? In a sense, the movement is very much like what has been seen so many times before: the cause, the march, the destruction, the tear gas, the arrests, the reports of police brutality. It is a kind of theater with its pre-set scenes and a final act that is performed when everyone feels they have had enough. Virtually every autumn, some topic or another arises in France that follows this pattern. But is there anything different now? Something that could turn the period 2026-2027 into one of those moments that mark an era, like May 1968, the Paris Commune of 1870, or the social revolutions of 1848 across Europe, when protests truly marked the beginning of a change? The arguments in favor of this view are real. It is the inability of the French centrist government to act. It is the failed experiment of ten years of radical Macronism. It is the widespread disillusionment with politics as we have known it. It is the debt crisis, which, according to serious people, could lead to a French default. It is the impoverishment caused by inflation. It is the rise of the extremes. It is the war in Europe. It is Trump. There are the French presidential elections of April/May. The world is very unstable. Things are changing. - Download the new BBC World Service app. Choose BBC News Mundo and receive news alerts, documentaries, and analysis, all in one place. 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