French police have fired tear gas and deployed water cannons against protesters in Paris as nationwide demonstrations over rising living costs and poor school conditions threaten to make President Emmanuel Macron’s government “tremble.”
Thousands rallied in the French capital and other cities on Saturday in demonstrations, bringing together students, teachers, trade unions and members of the Yellow Vest movement, which emerged in 2018 amid widespread anger over living costs.
During protests at Place de la République in Paris, riot police clashed with demonstrators, using tear gas and stun grenades to disperse groups of protesters wearing hoods and masks who threw fireworks and other objects at officers. Dozens of people were reportedly detained in the capital.
A car and a newspaper kiosk were set on fire in Paris, while police deployed large numbers of riot officers across the square and surrounding streets.
Meanwhile, many peaceful demonstrators joined a march heading toward northwestern Paris.
The CGT, one of France’s major labor unions, backed the protests, calling for higher wages and pensions, lower prices and the protection of public services.
Protests and clashes were also reported in Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Lyon.
In Marseille, local reports said some shops and a municipal police station were damaged, while protesters briefly entered the lobby of City Hall. In Lyon, a fire broke out inside the city’s tourism office.
In the western city of La Rochelle, protesters carried a placard reading “Revolution or death,” while protesters in the southern city of Montpellier unfurled a giant blue sign declaring, “The people will win.”
Ryad Rani, head of the LSU high school student representative body, warned that the government had reason to fear public anger.
“The government is trembling and it’s right to tremble because when the French people are angry, they never let up,” he told journalists in Paris.
Saturday’s demonstrations over rising costs of essentials such as fuel and food followed weeks of protests by French high school students demanding better conditions in their schools.
The soaring cost of living is a major concern for around 45 percent of French people, according to a survey of 2,000 people published earlier this month.
France’s Interior Ministry recorded 140 protest actions nationwide by midday on Saturday, involving 32,800 participants. More than 250 people had been arrested nationwide, according to the ministry.
The protests come as Macron’s government faces difficult budget negotiations and seeks to curb the country’s growing national debt, ahead of presidential elections next year.
The president called for calm on Friday, stressing the constitutional right to protest while urging demonstrators to respect people and property and refrain from insults and destruction.
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