Protests across France spiral into riots and looting

Submission Statement: Riots broke out in Paris, Marseille and other French cities on Saturday as police struggled to stop the looting of stores and attacks on buildings after mass demonstrations spiralled into some of the worst street violence in years.

Over half a million demonstrators held largely peaceful protests across the country earlier on Saturday as discontent mounts about France’s high living costs and students denounce failings in the education system.

But clashes soon erupted with police as black-clad, masked groups set cars on fire in central Paris, while others stormed city halls in Marseille, Lille and Limoges. An official’s residence in Bordeaux was also targeted and stores were looted and smashed.

Limoges city hall was largely destroyed by a fire, while in Lyon a tourist office was set ablaze. The violence worsened into the evening, with attacks on stores and restaurants across central Paris and near historic theatres streets away from the Élysée presidential palace as police tried to clear the Champs-Élysées avenue.

At Place de la République in the French capital, where police had spent most of the day trying to dispel protesters with tear gas, streets were filled with rubble from broken shop fronts and TV and social media images showed restaurants on fire. Elsewhere, people looted luxury stores and threw fireworks at police in scenes replicated in other cities.

Lecornu blamed far-left groups for the unrest, saying earlier on Saturday they “clearly want to use these acts of violence as a warm-up before the presidential election”.

Le Pen took aim at far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, another presidential contender, accusing him of instigating the disorder on Saturday and saying: “Legitimate social demands have once again been taken hostage by the far left.”

Posting on X, Mélenchon hit back and celebrated what he called “joyous” scenes of peaceful demonstrations. He decried police tactics, saying some people had been needlessly pepper sprayed and targeted with tear gas.

The French government has defended its response to the protests and denied that it was unprepared.