Protests in France

Macron lashes out – claims protests are being exploited: "They annoy me"

French President Emmanuel Macron argues that the ongoing protests in the country are being exploited abroad for political purposes, Bloomberg reports.

"There are no visible signs of foreign interference in the events themselves, but information has been manipulated from abroad after the fact," he told journalists during a visit to Qatar on Wednesday.

Without naming them directly, Macron implied that the protests are being exploited by both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu—in the context of the US midterm elections and next week’s election in Israel, respectively.

"Anyone speaking ill of our country right now is someone who does not love our country. These people annoy me," Macron said.

Demonstrations banned – shop owners arm themselves

French police are banning demonstrations in parts of Paris between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM on Thursday, AFP reports. The ban covers areas including tourist hotspots like the Louvre and the Champs-Élysées, as well as the vicinity of the Élysée Palace and the parliamentary buildings.

Meanwhile, *Le Parisien* reports that shop owners in the capital have begun arming themselves, fearing what might happen this weekend.

"Everyone feels they are at risk of being looted. Above all, shop owners feel that the police have not protected them," says Yves Gollety, owner of the gun shop *Armurerie de la Bourse*.

He told the newspaper that orders for various types of tear-gas-based self-defense weapons have skyrocketed.

"This is the first time I’ve seen such a level of concern," Gollety says. 

Analysis: Everyone blames each other for the violence in France

Whose fault is the violence seen during the protests in France over the last few weeks? The question is dividing the French people, writes Katya Adler for the BBC. The government has blamed the far-left, which in turn has blamed the government. Meanwhile, the far-right alleges both strategic incompetence on the part of President Macron and cynical manipulation by the left-wing opposition.

“France’s leading politicians have been engaged in a finger-pointing festival since Saturday,” Adler writes.

In the *New Statesman*, Peter Allen points the finger instead at elements within the police force. France’s paramilitary riot police are among the most brutal in Europe, and they are all too willing to join far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in demonizing the protesters, he writes.

“There is no doubt that the paramilitary forces—much like Le Pen—cultivate an image of themselves as guardians of an old-fashioned France, in which foreign influences are despised and mocked.”

In *The New York Times*, Glynnis MacNicol writes that, in any case, very few people are actually listening to what the students who initiated the protests are asking for.

“Their challenge now is to keep the violence at bay,” she notes.