Fires and clashes broke out in several French cities on Saturday as protesters took to the streets against rising living costs and in support of students’ demands, with police using tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent groups.
In Paris, a car and a newspaper kiosk were set on fire at Place de la République, while police used tear gas to push back masked protesters who threw fireworks and other objects at officers.
In Lyon, France’s third-largest city, a fire broke out inside a tourist office, with smoke and flames rising from the building.
In the southern port city of Marseille, several shops and a municipal police station were damaged, while some protesters briefly entered the lobby of City Hall before police dispersed them.
Authorities recorded 140 protest actions outside the Paris region by midday, involving more than 30,000 people, according to the office of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. At least 166 people were arrested nationwide.
The Interior Ministry reported violence involving masked protesters in Paris, Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers, including attempted looting, attacks on police, fires set to street furniture and damage targeting government institutions and media outlets.
The demonstrations followed calls on social media to revive the “Yellow Vest” movement, which emerged in 2018 over social injustice. Student groups, staging school blockades since mid-September, urged supporters to join the protests.
The CGT, one of France’s major labour unions, also backed the demonstrations, demanding higher wages and pensions, lower prices and protection of public services.
President Emmanuel Macron called for calm on Friday, saying people had a constitutional right to protest and express themselves but must also respect others and public property.
Police banned some proposed gatherings in central Paris, while several metro stations were closed at their request, including stations near the Champs-Elysées, the presidential palace, parliament and government offices.
France has witnessed thousands of arrests, hundreds of injuries and fires at schools in recent weeks as student protests spread nationwide, influencing the country’s presidential election campaign and drawing international attention.
Some teenagers have suffered serious injuries from police crowd-control weapons. Nuñez suspended the use of a type of police stun grenade against young demonstrators after a 15-year-old lost a hand.
Climate and social justice activist Greta Thunberg joined students at a high school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday.