Clashes in several French cities

 

Malin Carlsson/TT

Published 11:40 | Updated 18:21

       
       Gendarmes at Porte de Vincennes in eastern Paris use tear gas to disperse the crowds. Photo: Sameer         al-Doumy/AFP/TT

Large-scale protests are underway in France, resulting in clashes. Police have fired tear gas at demonstrations in several cities.

"The whole of society needs to change," a protester named Michel tells TT in Paris.

In Paris, at the end of the march route at Porte de Vincennes, clashes are taking place between police and protesters. Protesters have set fire to trash cans, and the police are responding with tear gas, water cannons, and stun grenades to disperse the crowds. The tear gas has created a thick haze over the street.

According to the news agency AFP, police have also used tear gas against crowds in Lyon, Lille, and Toulouse.

Clashes between police and people who have taken to the streets have also occurred in Nantes and Montpellier.

This comes just hours after Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez issued a warning during a press briefing on Saturday:

"We will not tolerate any violence or any disruption of public order."

Police: 110,000 participants

When the demonstration began at Porte d'Italie in southeastern Paris, the atmosphere was almost festive. At the starting point in Paris, a protester named Michel was handing out stickers with messages calling for an end to racism and nationalism. He declined to provide his surname but said he was there to support the students.

"And it’s not just about the students." "The whole of society needs to change—away from capitalism," he tells TT.

On Saturday, more than 70,000 security personnel are deployed across the country, equipped with gear including armored vehicles and water cannons. Certain areas of Paris have been cordoned off.

According to the police, approximately 110,000 people are taking part in the demonstration in Paris. The trade union confederation CGT reports that 800,000 people have demonstrated nationwide, 250,000 of them in Paris.

In Orléans, south of Paris, protests are being held against a meeting in the city by the far-right party National Rally (Rassemblement National).

Barricaded shops

Shop owners in various cities have barricaded their storefront windows to avoid a repeat of last weekend, when demonstrations in several locations descended into riots, vandalism, and looting.

Julien Hugo, a protester in Paris, emphasizes that looting and smashing property is wrong.

"But every time we demonstrate—for whatever reason—the police crack down on the opposition. After all, the right to demonstrate exists, and we have to show that. So, in a way, the destruction is the price paid for the crackdown on these demonstrations," he tells TT.