Violence mars day of action over poor state of French schools and rising prices

Authorities said 272 people had been arrested after violent incidents involving hooded individuals ​in Paris, Marseille, Rennes and Angers, the Interior Ministry said.

In Lyon, the tourist office in one of the central squares was set alight and police resorted to water cannon and tear gas to break up protesters trying to prevent firefighters from tackling the blaze.

“The images are shocking," said Lyon mayor Grégory Doucet. "I strongly condemn these unacceptable scenes of violence. Our public buildings are shared assets. Vandalising them means attacking the people of Lyon,” he added.

In the northern city of Lille, protesters smashed their way into the mayor's office and vandalised the premises before leaving.

In the second-largest city of Marseille, around two dozen people shouting: “This is the Revolution” broke into the town hall and smashed furniture before being forced out by police.

The city's mayor, Benoît Payan, criticised what he considered to be insufficient policing.

“This morning, there was one company of riot police for Marseille. Marseille is the second-largest city in France. Marseille covers five times the area of Lyon and two and a half times that of Paris... one company of riot police.” 

Clashes in Paris

In Paris, there were clashes around the statue of the Republic, in the square of the same name, between several hundred people and security forces before the demonstration set off.

Security forces used tear gas and a water cannon to push back masked demonstrators, some of whom fired fireworks mortars.

Two people climbed the statue, near which a car had been set alight, and dressed it in a Yellow Vest bearing the slogan: “2026: the police maim school students”.

“This time we're going to win and bring down this system,” said Marjorie Keters, a Yellow Vest activist and spokesperson for the political collective “For a Popular and Social Ecology”, as the main demonstration itself proceeded peacefully towards Place de Clichy. Thousands of people walked through central Paris as part of a day of protests over rising costs and the poor state of school buildings around the country.

"To those who want to use this violence as a 'warm-up' before the presidential election, I say clearly: We will not let ourselves be intimidated," said French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on social media.

"No one will impose their political agenda through violence."

Different groups gather

The day of action brought together grievances voiced by high school pupils and university students as well as Yellow Vests activists and climate campaigners.

It followed weeks of tension between students and French education chiefs over the crumbling state of school buildings and thelack of teachers.

Protests outside high schools have led to around 7,000 youths being taken into police custody. Nearly 1,000 police have been injured in scuffles with protesters.

Hundreds of French schools closed as students maintain protest pressure

"We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh, because the price of fuel ​is too high, because high school pupils are being violently attacked and hurt all over the country just ‌for trying to protest and ask for more teachers and decent learning conditions," said Lola, a 19-year-old protester in Paris.

Political opponents speak out

Opposition politicians vying to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in nextyear's elections have seized upon the protests.

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said on social media: "Looting, pillaging, attacking police – rioters have once again sullied the October 17 demonstrations over the cost of living."

She claimed that the demands of the protesters had been hijacked by leftwing politicians.

Her far-left rival, Jean-Luc Melenchon, accused TV stations of concentrating on images of violence rather than peaceful groupings.

Revolutionary spirit

Several protesters tried to draw parallels with the French Revolution of 1789.

In the western city of La Rochelle, marchers streamed behind a placard reading: "Revolution or death." And in the southern city of Montpellier, a giant blue sign reading: "The people will win" was unfurled above a central square.

"The government is trembling and it's right to tremble because when the French people are angry, they never let up," said Ryad Rani, the head of the USL high school student union.

The soaring cost-of-living has become a significant concern for French people.

It worries around 45 percent of them, according to a survey of 2,000 people published in Ocotber.

"At the end of the month, I have nothing left," said Franck, a civil servant in his forties as he demonstrated in the central town of Gueret with around 300 people, a quarter of them high school students.

'Prices are going up but wages are not," he added. "We can't take it anymore, we're suffocating."

Purchasing power in France has dwindled since 2024, while the price of fuel has risen since the start of the US-Iran war in February.

France, the eurozone's second largest economy, is struggling to rein in its public debt. It is projected next year to reach more than 120 percent of GDP – double the European Union limit of 60 percent.

(With news wires)