Emmanuel Macron is set to address France after a day of protest that descended into rioters setting fire to cars and buildings – with at least 1,800 people arrested. More than 500,000 people took to the streets before violent groups clashed with police officers in demonstrations across the country.
In Limoges, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse, with the lootings of hundreds of businesses in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, and other cities.
The French president is set to hold an emergency meeting with top government officials on Sunday afternoon, before addressing the nation at 8pm.
Trump Criticizes Protests as France ‘Burns’
US president Donald Trump hit out at the protesters, writing on social media: “France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country.” French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu attributed some of the violence to “radical far-left groups”.
The protests began last month at high schools in Paris’ poor northern suburbs, where anger over teacher absences and shabby facilities quickly morphed into a nationwide movement against inequality, weak public spending and falling standards.
Emergency Unit Created to Assess Damage in Paris
Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced the creation of an emergency unit to support businesses assess the damage.
“The scale of the damage is considerable and unprecedented,” Mr Grégoire wrote in an open letter.
“Paris is a city of freedoms, debate and demonstrations. It must remain so. But it must also be a city where everyone can work and run a business safely.”
Police said groups of hundreds of people formed unauthorized marches across central Paris on Saturday.
“By late afternoon, a new phase began with the arrival of large numbers of people whose sole aim was to steal and loot, taking advantage of the unrest,” police said.
Marine Le Pen Says Rioters ‘Spoiled’ Demonstration
Political leaders across the spectrum sought to parlay the fallout of Saturday’s riots into political capital, looking ahead to next spring’s presidential election.
Far-right leader and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen lashed out at far-left rival Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who joined the Paris march.
“Looting, ransacking, destroying and attacking law enforcement: Rioters have again spoiled the Oct. 17 demonstrations for the protection of purchasing power,” Le Pen wrote on X.
Her running mate, Jordan Bardella, said on X that “if the silent majority of French decide it, we will reestablish order for the long term.”
Protests Spill Over Into Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium
Protests have also taken place in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Belgium over the weekend over government corruption, housing issues and the cost of living.
In Milan, protests against rising costs ended with masked rioters throwing stones, with a water cannon and teargas deployed to control the crowds.
Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said that while demonstrating was a right, “setting our cities ablaze is not”.
In Lisbon, a tent camp which is similar to the one established three weeks ago in Madrid has been set up, with protesters demanding action to tackle the housing crisis and rallying overnight at Rossio Square.
In Brussels, violent clashes erupted between police and hundreds of anti-fascist and student protesters in a movement inspired by the demonstrations in France.
Protests Over Poor Living Standards Take Place in Albania
Elsewhere, police in Albania said that 388 people had been charged with criminal offences as widespread protests take place in the capital Tirana.
Prime minister Edi Rama on Sunday rejected calls to step down from growing street protests, and said they were a threat not to his government but to Albania’s progress toward joining the European Union.
Student-led demonstrations, fuelled by anger over perceived government corruption, a lack of jobs and poor education standards, have engulfed central Tirana and spread to other cities in the past week.
Demonstrators demanding Rama’s resignation have set fire to government buildings as well as banks and pulled up paving stones to throw at police, who have responded with tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.
The unrest, which followed months of largely peaceful protests in the summer against a luxury coastal development backed by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, pose the biggest challenge yet to Rama, who has governed since 2013 and last year won a fourth term in office.
“I am not being challenged, the government is not being challenged, a government majority or a winning party in the elections is not being challenged but a path is being challenged, a mission is being challenged,” Rama said in a live address on Facebook.
Parisians Blame ‘Troublemakers’ Who Turned Protest Into Riot
Inspecting the damage, many Parisians took photos of the partially dismantled base of the central monument at Place de la République — a statue of Marianne, a symbol of France.
Jean Foissy, 74, said he wanted to join the protest but found “a wall of riot police and fires everywhere,” and went back home.
“I was very scared,” he said. “I’ve been a Parisian since I was born, so when I got here, it almost made me want to cry because I find it so bad, it hurts me.”
Margaux Eude, 26, said she supports the protest movement but “didn’t think it would escalate like this.”
“It’s the troublemakers who came, and it breaks my heart because it delegitimises the movement,” she said.
Trump Posts ‘France is Burning!’ on Social Media
US president Donald Trump posted “France is burning!” on his Truth Social platform, apparently linking the unrest to “the immigration of people from an entirely different world.”
“Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!” he wrote.
19th Century Limoges City Hall Destroyed and Widespread Damage in Paris
Authorities said masked groups on Saturday set fires and attacked public buildings, including city halls, in several cities.
In Limoges, a city in central France, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse. Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate told LCI television that the fire was deliberately set and nearly destroyed the building. The fire was under control Sunday.
Around Paris’ Place de la République on Sunday morning, dislodged cobblestones, shattered storefronts and broken glass marked the aftermath of the events.
Looting and damage were reported around the square and in some other tourist and shopping areas in the city centre.
1,800 Arrested With One Dead From Suspected Heart Attack
Police arrested at least 1,800 people across France after violent groups clashed with officers and looted shops during nationwide demonstrations that drew hundreds of thousands of people who denounced rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.
Paris police said Sunday that 855 people were arrested in the French capital region alone.
About 550,000 took part in protests across France, according to authorities, while organizers counted about 800,000.
More than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured, Nuñez said.
One person died of a heart attack, Paris police said in a statement, without providing details. Paris prosecutors’ office said it was investigating.
Emmanuel Macron to Address the Nation After Violent Protests
French president Emmanuel Macron is set to address the nation at 8pm, after holding an emergency meeting with top government officials on Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday, he wrote on social media: “No room for violence in our Republic. Those who have broken, attacked the prefectures as well as businesses, looted even our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished.”
“The right to protest is a fundamental right. Deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence is not,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez wrote on X, pointing to the lootings of hundreds of businesses in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, Limoges and other cities.
Around 1,200 Protesters Arrested Across Major French Cities
French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Saturday evening that some 1,200 people had been arrested as part of the protests, which a union said involved up to 800,000 demonstrators.
Large groups gathered in Paris and Marseille ahead of the official marches and hours later protests erupted across the whole country.
Masked protesters stormed Marseille’s town hall after ramming the doors with security barriers in the morning, and were followed by attacks on town halls in Grenoble and Lille.
Protesters later set fire to the tourism office in Lyon in eastern France and attempted to prevent firefighters from tackling the blaze.
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