Day of fury in France: raids on buildings and more than 400 arrested in massive protests for education and the cost of living

"Day of Fury" in France: Building assaults on buildings and more than 400 arrested in massive protests over education and the cost of living - Author, Editorial - Author's Title, BBC News World - Publication Date - Reading Time: 6 min The police in France used tear gas and confronted demonstrators this Saturday, when tens of thousands of people took to the streets across the country to protest against high prices and the deterioration of a social welfare system intended to guarantee a basic level of opportunities and security. The main demonstration is taking place in Paris. A wide variety of groups have joined in across the country after student protests were registered over several weeks. The protests 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 the facilities quickly turned into a nationwide movement against inequality, scarce public investment, and the decline of educational levels. Among the demonstrators are the "yellow vests"—known for protesting against the rise in fuel prices—as well as unions and young people. On Saturday, there was an "escalation of violence," and more than 400 people were arrested across France, according to the Ministry of the Interior. Damage has been reported at a police station in Marseille, where images also show flames and masked people in the streets. According to the AFP news agency and local media, demonstrators set fire to the Lyon tourist office, in eastern France. Images show the demonstrators in front of the burning building, with fire both inside and outside. Several windows have also been destroyed. Local police claim that "hostile individuals" are preventing firefighters from safely extinguishing the fire, while police officers are working to "disperse the violent groups." According to reports from BBC journalist Adina Campbell from Paris, "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." "The demonstrators, some of whom have come from the peripheral neighborhoods with the intention of causing disturbances, are still confronting the police," she adds. "There is no room for violence." Following the incidents, French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that "there is no room for violence" in France. In a post on social media, he wrote that those who "have destroyed and attacked" prefectures and businesses and "looted" municipalities will be "prosecuted 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 on the streets of France on Saturday. However, according to the BBC correspondent in Paris, Hugh Schofield, there was a clear contrast between the official demonstration, which proceeded from Place de la République to Place de Clichy, and what occurred and is occurring here and there in the rest of Paris. The main march, he pointed out, "seemed to take place 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 first 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." Vandalism and Looting In Tolon, in southern France, local authorities claim 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 margins 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." Stones were thrown and graffiti was painted on several public buildings in the city. A pile driver was used to force the opening of a police barrier and two police vehicles were damaged, according to the authorities. Marine Le Pen, presidential candidate of the far-right party National Rally (RN) of France, accused the "agitators" of "poisoning" today's demonstrations across the country. The demands of the demonstrators have been "hijacked by the far-right," he wrote on his social media, and added that the groups legitimizing 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 developing calmly" in today's demonstrations across the country. 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 demonstrating 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. Practically every autumn some issue 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 throughout 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 in 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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