Night of chaos in Europe – police officers injured by Molotov cocktails

 

Agnès Ericson

Published 09:29

Hundreds of thousands of protesters—and witches—took to the streets across Europe on Saturday.

In Paris, several police officers were injured by Molotov cocktails.

“I call it attempted murder,” says the French Interior Minister.

According to figures from labor unions, half a million people took to the streets in France on Saturday to protest against Emmanuel Macron’s government and the soaring cost of living.

The government stated that 320,000 people participated.

Many of the protesters were dressed in Halloween costumes. One woman was dressed as Marie Antoinette, carrying a sign that read “Let them eat brioche,” while a witch held up a sign saying, “A serving for a revolution.”

In Paris, 70,000 people took part. Most of the demonstrations were peaceful, but as the evening and night progressed, several violent clashes broke out between protesters and the police.

Police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

In total, 565 people were arrested across the country, and five police officers were injured in Paris—three of them by Molotov cocktails.

Injured police officer: “It starts to sting on the skin”

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that the demonstrations had “gone well,” but condemned the violent attacks against security and emergency personnel.

A police officer’s clothing caught fire when a petrol bomb hit the ground. “You have time to feel the burning sensation intensify, to notice how your equipment begins to be affected, and to feel your skin start to sting,” the injured police officer told BFMTV.

In Lyon, protesters threw projectiles at the police, who responded with tear gas. In Toulouse, the police deployed water cannons.

Eggs thrown at police

Germany also experienced a turbulent night.

Gen Z protesters took to the streets in Cologne, Frankfurt, and Berlin to demand better education and a lower cost of living, according to German media.

In Frankfurt, men dressed in black and wearing masks used crowbars to smash shop windows along a shopping street. Several arrests have been made. 

Violence in Albania

Protests also continued in Tirana, the capital of Albania, where young people are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. According to AFP, the demonstration began peacefully but later escalated when youths started throwing stones and petrol bombs at the police.

On Saturday, hundreds of people also marched in Lisbon, Portugal, to protest against the country’s rising housing costs. Early Sunday morning, police entered the protesters’ tent encampment with police dogs, batons, and shields, reports The Guardian.