Violence broke out across France on Saturday during the latest day of demonstrations against education standards and the cost of living. The French government described it as an "escalation in violence" as an estimated 550,000 people took to the streets. At least 400 people were arrested. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
In Paris, the main march appeared largely peaceful during the afternoon. However, as the day wore on, some groups lit fires in the street and torched vehicles, including in iconic locations in the city centre like the Place de la République. Shops were ransacked, at least one restaurant was gutted by fire, and the BBC saw fighting breaking out among some groups. Riot police used tear gas and water cannon on crowds and were seen hitting several people with batons.
In Limoges, a large fire at the town hall caused the roof to partly collapse. Looting broke out in several cities, with widespread vandalism targeted against city halls and businesses. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 60 law enforcement officers were injured, including two who were taken to hospital unconscious.
In Lyon, Mayor Grégory Doucet said the burning of the city's tourist office was "a tragedy" for the city. "It breaks our hearts because it's a very iconic, well-known historic building," he told BFMTV. Local police said "hostile individuals" prevented firefighters from safely tackling the blaze.
A young man "had his hand blown off by a grenade" in Saint-Étienne, the south-eastern city's Mayor Régis Juanico said on social media, adding: "Such a tragedy should never have happened." The interior ministry said the protests involved "targeted acts of violence" from "hooded individuals" in places including parts of the capital and also Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers.
Damage to buildings was reported across France, including in Grenoble, Avignon, Pau, Montpellier and Valence. Clothes and food shops were raided in Paris, while an Apple store in Lille was broken into and emptied. Footage authenticated by BBC Verify showed a tourist train in Grenoble being driven by masked men along a narrow street in the city centre towards at least three riot police officers.
Hundreds of thousands of students have protested in recent weeks over staff shortages and dilapidated facilities in the country's lycées - secondary schools attended by 15 to 18-year-olds. On Saturday, their numbers were bolstered by trade union members and other protest groups. These groups include the so-called gilets jaunes 'yellow vest' movement, who demonstrated against cost-of-living hikes for over a year from 2018 - becoming one of the longest-lived protest movements in French history.
While France is no stranger to outbreaks of protest and disorder, this round comes as the country heads into a period of deep political uncertainty. French President Emmanuel Macron will leave office next year and polls suggest April's presidential election could come down to a fight between the leader of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the hard-left La France Insoumise party. The latter took part in demonstrations in France and later accused police officers of "unleashing" on protesters, while condemning looting and arson.