Unions in France: Half a million demonstrate

 

Cornelia Mikaelsson/TT, Grim Berglund/TT

 

Published 14:15 | Updated 18:06

         

        On Saturday, demonstrators set fire to a tourist office in Lyon. Photo: Laurent Cipriani /AP/TT

Violent clashes are taking place between demonstrators and police during nationwide protests currently underway in France.

In Marseille and Lille, demonstrators have stormed city halls, according to local media reports.

The leading trade union, the CGT, states that half a million participants are taking part in 1,750 demonstrations across France.

Trade unions, farmers, teachers, firefighters, students, and rioters have joined forces on Saturday to protest against issues including the rising cost of living.

Roads have been blocked and trash bins set on fire; police have responded with tear gas and water cannons during a turbulent day.

In a statement, the CGT union says that the French "government must stop the repression and immediately address existing social needs." The union’s figures regarding the number of demonstrators—at least 500,000 on Saturday—often differ significantly from the estimates provided by the French police.

Fire at a tourist office

In Marseille, in southern France, a police station was attacked, and by lunchtime, it was reported that demonstrators had broken into the city hall, according to the newspaper *Le Figaro*.

A few hours later, AFP reported that masked demonstrators had set fire to a tourist office in Lyon.

By Saturday afternoon, widespread clashes were reported, with police firing tear gas at demonstrators. Shortly after 4 p.m., it was reported that protesters had also stormed the city hall in Lille.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for "calm" and urged protesters to "respect people and property."

Le Pen attacks

Marine Le Pen, leader of the French far-right—who is said to see her best opportunity yet to gain power in next year’s presidential election—accuses "rioters" of "poisoning" the protests.

In a post on X, she places the blame on the far-left:

"Looting, vandalism, and attacks on the police—rioters have once again tarnished the demonstrations against the high cost of living," she writes.

Paris police report 100 arrests in the capital, with over 500 separate interventions carried out. By the afternoon, the total number of arrests across France had risen to 270.

So-called "stun grenades" (or blast grenades) have also been used during the protests. According to police sources, a protester in the city of Saint-Étienne had their hand blown off by either a stun grenade or a tear-gas canister.

Authorities had previously issued warnings to exercise caution regarding such devices, following an incident in the city of Lens where a 15-year-old protester had their hand blown off during an earlier demonstration.