Paris left reeling as student-led protests turn chaotic

Some 1,800 people arrested and hundreds injured during nationwide demonstrations attended by hundreds of thousands.

Paris residents tell Al Jazeera they’re dismayed by protest damage

Paris, France – France is counting the cost of a day of unrest after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets nationwide, in the largest mobilisation since protests over education reforms and the cost of living began last month.

At Place de la Republique, in the heart of the French capital, people on Sunday surveyed the previous day’s destruction in dismay: smashed windows, gutted buildings, looted shops.

“I find it unacceptable – absolutely unacceptable,” said Rabah, who has been living in Paris for more than 70 years. “Back in the day, we also demonstrated, but peacefully,” he said.

Staring at the burned skeleton of what used to be a newspaper stand, 56-year-old Claire was also shaken. “I love Paris so much, and seeing it like this makes me furious,” she said. “It’s absolutely appalling. I’m actually quite overcome with emotion.”

Nearby, the statue of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic, was covered in graffiti. “Those who sow misery reap anger,” read one inscription.

A pedestrian walks past a damaged front window of a shop, in central Paris [AFP]

The student-led protests began in mid-September, caused by grievances ranging from overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages to systemic inequality and a lack of opportunity.

The movement quickly spilled out of the schoolyards and into the streets, tapping into broader social and economic anxieties.

On Saturday, these complaints converged in a mobilisation that saw a nationwide turnout of 550,000 people, according to authorities; unions and organisers put the estimate at 800,000.

But while the vast majority of demonstrators rallied peacefully, the scale of the violent unrest threatened to eclipse their message. In Paris, there was also heavy use of tear gas and stun grenades by the police, including before the start of the march, which set the tone for a tense day.

“I marched from the 10th arrondissement town hall to Place de Clichy. I was there from start to finish, and it was very peaceful – just all kinds of people, all of them nonviolent,” said Stephanie, a 23-year-old Parisian student.

“But once again, the violence was so spectacular that the actual message – the reasons behind the protesters’ grievances – was never conveyed,” she said.

Macron to address nation

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose second and final term ends next year, will give a televised address to the nation at 18:00 GMT on Sunday after meeting government ministers, his office announced.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said nearly 1,800 people had been arrested – almost half of them in Paris – and more than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters had been injured in the unrest.

“Protesting is a fundamental right. Causing disorder through violence and in a concerted manner is not,” he said on Sunday.

During Saturday’s protest in Paris, Al Jazeera saw groups of black-clad, masked young men smashing shop windows with what appeared to be golf clubs before fleeing with bags of stolen goods.

In Marseille, France’s second-largest city, dozens of shops were looted and a group of people broke into the city hall before being forced out.

“Students and others have real claims they want to air which no one is listening to now because idiots are smashing everything,” said Benoit Payan, the city’s mayor.

In Limoges, footage showed flames engulfing the city hall as the fire spread through the historic building. Public buildings were also damaged in Bordeaux and other cities.

A protester holds a rock during the demonstration near Place de la Republique in Paris [Carl Court/Getty Images]

Police conduct has also come under scrutiny. France’s police inspectorate, the IGPN, had opened 36 investigations into alleged police violence since the high-school protests began, according to figures released by the Ministry of the Interior on October 13. The figure predates Saturday’s demonstrations.

Human rights lawyers have described some of their clients’ injuries as comparable to those seen in conflict zones. These include a minor who has lost his hand, another with his jaw smashed and a third pupil who lost sight in one eye.

“There is an increasingly systematic use of crowd-control measures that would normally be reserved for much more serious situations,” said Christophe Calvao, president of the Paris Young Lawyers’ Union. “This only serves to inflame tensions and make people even angrier.”

The government now faces the challenge of responding to widespread social discontent while trying to pass a budget aimed at bringing France’s public finances under control.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu wants to reduce the country’s deficit through spending restraint and tax measures – a move that will likely deepen public anger. Cuts to France’s generous welfare system have traditionally faced strong public resistance.

All of this takes place in a highly toxic political environment as parties harden their positions ahead of next year’s presidential election.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the left-wing France Unbowed party and potential presidential contender who has sought to appeal to young voters, accused the government of fuelling the unrest.

“In Paris, aberrant leadership has opened the door to chaos. Those in charge no longer know what to do; the rank and file are afraid and are running wild,” he said.

Lecornu hit back. “This is YOUR political responsibility,” said the prime minister on social media, accusing far-left groups of orchestrating the violence.

在全国各地数十万人参加的示威活动中，约有 1800 人被捕，数百人受伤。

巴黎居民告诉半岛电视台，他们对示威活动造成的破坏感到震惊。

法国巴黎——法国正在统计一天动乱造成的损失。数十万民众走上全国各地的街头，这是自上个月因教育改革和生活成本问题开始抗议以来规模最大的一次民众动员。

在法国首都中心的共和国广场，周日，人们惊恐地看着前一天的破坏景象：破碎的窗户、被烧毁的建筑物、被洗劫一空的商店。

“我完全无法接受——绝对无法接受，”在巴黎生活了70多年的拉巴赫说道。“以前我们也示威游行过，但那是和平的，”他补充道。

凝视着曾经的报刊亭如今只剩下烧焦的残骸，56岁的克莱尔也感到震惊。“我太爱巴黎了，看到它变成这样让我怒不可遏，”她说。“这简直太可怕了。我真的非常激动。”

附近，象征法兰西共和国的玛丽安娜雕像被涂鸦覆盖。“播撒苦难者必将收获愤怒，”其中一条涂鸦写道。

一名行人走过巴黎市中心一家商店破损的橱窗。[法新社]

学生领导的抗议活动始于 9 月中旬，起因是教室拥挤、教师短缺、系统性不平等和缺乏机会等一系列不满。

这场运动迅速从校园蔓延到街头，触及了更广泛的社会和经济焦虑。

周六，这些不满情绪汇聚成一场动员，据官方统计，全国共有 55 万人参与；工会和组织者估计参与人数为 80 万人。

尽管绝大多数示威者以和平方式集会，但暴力骚乱的规模之大，几乎掩盖了他们所传达的信息。在巴黎，警方大量使用了催泪瓦斯和眩晕弹，甚至在游行开始前就使用了这些武器，这为紧张的一天定下了基调。

“我从巴黎第十区市政厅游行到克利希广场。我从头到尾都在那里，整个过程非常和平——各种各样的人都参与了，而且所有人都坚持非暴力原则，”23岁的巴黎学生斯蒂芬妮说道。

“但暴力事件再次太过骇人听闻，以至于抗议者不满背后的真正原因——也就是抗议信息——根本没有传达出去，”她说。

马克龙将向全国发表讲话

法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙的第二个也是最后一个任期将于明年结束。他的办公室宣布，马克龙将在周日格林尼治标准时间18:00与政府部长会面后，向全国发表电视讲话。

内政部长洛朗·努内斯表示，近 1800 人被捕——其中近一半在巴黎——超过 500 名警察、宪兵和消防员在骚乱中受伤。

“抗议是一项基本权利。但通过暴力和有组织的方式制造混乱则不是，”他周日表示。

半岛电视台在周六巴黎的抗议活动中看到，一群身穿黑衣、戴着面具的年轻人用疑似高尔夫球杆的东西砸碎商店橱窗，然后带着偷来的物品逃离现场。

在法国第二大城市马赛，数十家商店遭到洗劫，一群人闯入市政厅，之后被强行驱逐。

“学生和其他人有一些真实的诉求想要表达出来，但现在没有人听，因为一些白痴正在破坏一切，”市长贝努瓦·帕扬说道。

在利摩日，画面显示，大火迅速蔓延，吞噬了市政厅这座历史建筑。波尔多和其他城市的公共建筑也遭到破坏。

在巴黎共和国广场附近的示威活动中，一名抗议者手持石块。[Carl Court/Getty Images]

警方行为也受到密切关注。法国内政部10月13日公布的数据显示，自高中生抗议活动开始以来，法国警察监察局（IGPN）已对36起涉嫌警察暴力事件展开调查。该数据统计于周六示威活动之前。

人权律师称，他们的一些客户所受的伤情堪比冲突地区的伤情。其中包括一名失去一只手的未成年人，一名下巴被打碎的未成年人，以及一名单眼失明的学生。

巴黎青年律师协会主席克里斯托夫·卡尔沃表示：“现在越来越多地使用通常只用于更严重情况的群体控制措施。这只会加剧紧张局势，让民众更加愤怒。”

政府现在面临的挑战是，既要应对普遍存在的社会不满情绪，又要努力通过一项旨在控制法国公共财政的预算。

法国总理塞巴斯蒂安·勒科尔努希望通过控制开支和税收措施来降低国家赤字——此举很可能加剧公众的愤怒。削减法国慷慨的福利制度历来都会遭到公众的强烈抵制。

所有这一切都发生在高度敌对的政治环境中，各政党都在为明年的总统选举而强硬立场。

左翼政党“不屈法国”的领导人、潜在的总统候选人让-吕克·梅朗雄一直试图吸引年轻选民，他指责政府煽动了动乱。

他说：“在巴黎，领导层的失序打开了混乱之门。掌权者不知所措；普通民众惶恐不安，四处作乱。”

莱科尔努予以回击。这位总理在社交媒体上表示：“这是你们的政治责任”，并指责极左翼团体策划了这场暴力事件。