Hunderttausende demonstrieren: „Entsetzliche Gewalt“ bei Protesten erschüttert Frankreich

Nationwide protests against high living costs in France have been marred by severe riots, causing multi-million-pound damage. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu denounced an "appalling scale of violence". Two thousand people were arrested and 600 police and firefighters were injured, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. Nationwide, 550,000 people participated in the protests, with 110,000 in Paris alone.

The calls for new protests were issued for November 5th. Plundering and extensive damage were reported in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, and other cities. The Inland Minister emphasized the immense damage, particularly for the hundreds of affected businesses. In the city of Limoges, the impressive, protected historic town hall was set ablaze and severely damaged.

The prefect of the Haute-Vienne department, Maurice Barate, reported that the rear part of the building was saved. A photo showed the burnt-out roof beams of the front building section, gaping holes where windows once stood, and dark soot marks on the bright facade. The protests included various groups, with tens of thousands joining, including students and teachers demanding better learning conditions, high fuel prices, low wages, widespread unemployment, and issues in agriculture and firefighting.

Due to the already high budget deficit and France's heavy debt, the government's room for action in responding to demonstrators' demands is limited. Citizens expressed their exhaustion over their "barely-subsisting wages". "I barely make ends meet, I'm on my own and have to pay the rent, including everything that goes with it," said Sozialarbeiterin Stella to RTL.

Gymnasiast Prune complained: "The situation at our school is pathetic. Two teachers are already missing since the start of the school year. The building is dilapidated, we have leaky roofs, and the toilets regularly clog." People were shocked by the destruction in Paris, with streets covered in garbage, demolished bikes, and goods from looted shops.

Passersby observed burnt-out cars. Bürgermeister Emmanuel Grégoire reported completely ruined streets. "I have witnessed things that have put me into a state of furious anger: Rioters setting businesses ablaze at the foot of residential buildings," he told BFMTV. Many citizens were saddened by the destruction, and local officials worked tirelessly on cleaning up the streets.

Similar scenes were reported in Marseille and Lyon. Prime Minister Lecornu stated that the police faced a "particularly violent ultraright group" throughout the day, "a well-organized and opaque group that methodically tried to attack property, individuals, and the institutions of the Republic." The central command centers of the country, the Élysée Palace, the government headquarters, the National Assembly, were all attacked.

It was "a political maneuver that condones violence." He stressed: "We will not be intimidated." President Emmanuel Macron threatened consequences for the perpetrators. "In our Republic, there is no place for violence," he said. "Those who have destroyed and attacked public buildings, as well as our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished."

He expressed his inability to find words to describe what he has never imagined he would see in his city. The outrage was immense.