Around 550,000 people took part in demonstrations across France on Oct. 17
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/paris-protest-101726-2-78205039642e4f7695c3977d5ad9f69c.jpg "Thousands protest against proposed police law that will 'legitimate use of violence for police and gendarmes' in Paris, France")
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NEED TO KNOW
- Protests in France, involving around 550,000 people, turned violent this weekend
- French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said at least 1,200 people were arrested and 150 police officers were injured
- Concerns surrounding rising living costs, such as the price of fuel, and declining public services, including teaching conditions in schools, were protested in several major French cities by students, trade union activists and more
Protests in France turned violent this weekend, as local authorities clashed with students, trade union activists and more.
Concerns surrounding rising living costs, such as the price of fuel, and declining public services, including teaching conditions in schools, were protested in several major French cities on Saturday, Oct. 17, Reuters, The Guardian and the BBC reported.
Per the BBC, around 550,000 people took part in demonstrations across France. The outlet, citing French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, reported that at least 1,200 people were arrested.
In Marseille, masked intruders entered the city hall, and in Lyon, shops were damaged and the local tourist office was set on fire, according to Reuters.
Lecornu said 150 police officers were injured amid the protests in France, the BBC reported.
Credit: Abdelghani Alsayed/Anadolu via Getty
In a statement shared on X, Lecornu wrote, “Peaceful demonstrations have their rightful place in our Republic. Arson, looting, and attacks have no place whatsoever.”
Highlighting the “orchestrated violence in several French cities,” the French politician continued, “At a time when some are seeking to cast blame on our law enforcement forces, I want to tell the French people that they can be proud of their police officers and gendarmes. They have faced violence of extreme intensity to protect our fellow citizens, and they deserve all our support.”
“To those who clearly want to use these acts of violence as a ‘warm-up’ before the presidential election, I say this plainly: we will not be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence,” added Lecornu. “The instructions given are clear: prevent abuses, protect property and people, apprehend the perpetrators and bring them before the courts.”
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Lecornu then wrote, “We will see through the full debate on the ‘pay-the-damagers’ bill,” referring to a proposed legislative measure also backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, which aims to legally hold vandals financially responsible for the cost of repairs to public or private destruction.
“Public money is scarce: it must fund our public services, not endlessly repair what vandals destroy. It is up to them to bear the cost,” Lecornu said.
