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 400 detained in massive protests with cross-accusations between the government and the left - Author, Newsroom - Author's title, BBC World News - Publication date - Reading time: 7 min Fires in the streets of Paris continue on Saturday night, following a "day of fury" across France with clashes between the police and protesters who are demonstrating against education, high prices, and the deterioration of the welfare state. The government of Emmanuel Macron has blamed the "extreme left" for mobilizing Saturday's protests, in view of the presidential elections in April, while the leader of the main leftist 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 that is 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 time, "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 condition of facilities quickly turned into a nationwide movement against inequality, scarce public investment, and the decline of educational standards. Among the protesters are the "yellow Vests"—known for protesting against the rise in fuel prices—as well as unions and young people. On this 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 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"— following the "looting and violence" in the city. In Lyon, in eastern France, protesters set fire to the tourist office, informing the news agency AFP and local media. Images show protesters 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 protesters looting and throwing glass bottles, which further aggravates the chaos," reports BBC journalist Adina Campbell from Paris. "The protesters, some of whom came from 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 assured that "there is no room for violence" in his country. In a social media post, he wrote that those who "destroyed and attacked" prefectures and businesses and "looted" city halls will be "tried and punished". "We will all stand united 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 allowing the peaceful demonstrations to take place by containing the violent protesters. Nuñez criticized the figures of the "extreme left" 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. However, according to the BBC correspondent in Paris, Hugh Schofield, there was a clear contrast between the official demonstration, which went from the Place de la République to the Place de Clichy, and what happened and is happening in several other parts of the capital. The main march, he noted, "seemed to proceed peacefully; however, small groups of protesters were wandering across the entire 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 indicate that there were "several acts of violence" 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, add the authorities. Violent acts have also been recorded on the outskirts 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 of the far-right National Rally (RN) party of France, accused the "agitators" of "poisoning" the protests of this Saturday across the country. The protesters' demands have been "hijacked by the extreme left," he wrote on his social media, and added that the groups that legitimize violence "seek to plunge the country into chaos". Previously, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the leftist 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 demonstrating in the streets, or is something deeper and more significant happening? In a sense, the movement strongly resembles what has been seen many times before: the cause, the march, the destruction, the tear gas, the detentions, 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 theme or other arises in France that follows this pattern. But is there something 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 centrist French 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 World News and receive news alerts, documentaries, and analysis, all in one place. Important: the new application is not available in the UK or the United States. - You can also follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and our WhatsApp channel. - And don't forget to subscribe here to our newsletter to receive a special selection of our best content every Friday.