After protests in France: At least 1,000 arrests

dpa | The largely peaceful day of protests in France was again overshadowed by violence in some cities. Last night, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez spoke of almost 1,000 arrests across the country. The number will continue to rise because there is still a need to take stock. “Numerous lootings have been prevented,” he said. There was also damage to property and looting again. But they are not comparable to those of last week.

Security forces were on alert after serious riots broke out on the sidelines of demonstrations on October 17. 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were now supposed to be on duty over the weekend, with water cannons and armored vehicles standing by. Shop owners in Paris, for example, had installed chipboard in front of their shop windows to protect them from damage. In several cities there were bans on gatherings in certain zones and curfews.

According to the Interior Ministry, around 410,000 people took part in the nationwide protests yesterday, including around 110,000 in Paris. According to media reports, the CGT trade union association reported around 800,000 participants. The young people who have been demonstrating for weeks for better equipment in schools were joined by other groups to demonstrate against high living costs.

Interior Minister Nuñez said the demonstrations went smoothly. However, “risk groups” formed at almost every meeting and followed a fairly “classic pattern”. They broke away from the parades and tried to commit riots, especially by attacking security forces. People dressed in black and masked were part of the groups. The minister blamed the “radical extreme left, the ultra-left” in particular.

In Paris, the demonstration, which was moved to the outskirts of the city, was initially quiet. People of all ages took part. At the end of the demonstration, the situation worsened: images showed clouds of tear gas and fireworks as well as the use of water cannons. Banging noises could be heard in television recordings and a garbage can was burning. The police prefecture of Paris stated on Platform X that rioters tried to break into a car dealership at the end of the demonstration there. The rapid intervention of the law enforcement officers prevented this.

Images from other cities such as Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille also showed clouds of tear gas and fire. The Interior Ministry reported disruptions to public order in several cities. In Nantes, northwestern France, damage and looting were reported in a shop, the responsible prefecture said. The security forces arrested six people. Minister Nuñez reported on two people who were seriously injured during police operations during violent riots in Clermont-Ferrand and in Toulouse.

Meanwhile, the yellow vest movement has already announced new demonstrations for next week. There will be a “3rd act” on Saturday (October 31st), the organizers of previous events announced on their website. They called for rallies and sit-ins in front of the National Assembly and all town halls in France. A protest event is also scheduled to take place on Friday in which kitchen utensils such as pots and pans will be used to make noise - a so-called casserole.