French violence emerges ahead of nationwide yellow vests and student protests

Protesters with flares and a national flag during a demonstration against the government's draft budget in Paris, France, on Sept. 29. (Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg)

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French police used teargas and made arrests as violence erupted in Paris and other cities before planned demonstrations called for Saturday across the country by groups including the so-called Yellow Vests movement.

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The Interior Ministry said people they described as hooded, ultra-left-wing agitators gathered in the French capital and cities such as Rennes, Toulouse and Angers. Members of these groups set fire to street furniture and equipment, and tried to loot retailers, the ministry said in a statement.

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In Marseille, shops were ransacked and a police station was damaged, and in Lyon, television footage showed a tourist office was attacked and set on fire. Footage also showed clashes between police and people wearing various types of hooded tops, scarves and masks.

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Police arrested 166 people across the country as of noon, according to the ministry. Overnight, an arson attack damaged a building of the University of Rouen in Normandy.

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After more than three weeks of student unrest over education funding, the ministry expects hundreds of “actions” — such as blocking motorway toll booths and service stations — during this weekend’s demonstrations. Some unions including the CGT were also poised to join, focusing on public spending and purchasing-power concerns.

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“We’re expecting a pretty big mobilization” by protesters, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France 2 TV Friday. Police were preparing for possible violence by extreme elements among protesters in bigger cities, he said.

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The French unrest isn’t unique. Protests are spreading throughout Europe, including Spain, Italy, Albania, and Belgium, with demonstrators’ demands including more affordable housing and lower living costs.

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In Portugal, Tiago Oliveira, leader of the country’s largest trade union federation, CGTP, said demonstrations that began on Saturday in Lisbon and other areas aim to give a voice to people struggling with the “brutal increase” in housing, fuel and food prices.

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Yellow Vests

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The Yellow Vests are a sometimes radical grassroots movement that emerged in 2018 to fight rising living costs. Their protests that year were triggered by a proposed fuel-tax increase under President Emmanuel Macron. They viewed it as disproportionately burdening rural and working-class citizens who depend on cars.

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While the mass movement of the initial years largely dissipated, the Yellow Vests have never completely stopped taking to the streets.

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The initiative on Saturday was initially suggested by a TikToker with no clear political agenda. Yellow Vests activists took the opportunity to try and revive their movement with calls on social media to take to the streets.

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Continued demonstrations by high school students to protest classroom conditions, teacher absences and university admissions were initially unrelated to the Yellow Vests. About 57% of the French support the student movement, according to a Cluster 17 poll published Oct. 11.