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Macron Warns of Exploited Unrest as France Protests Turn Violent
Confirmed
In Short: French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the unrest was being exploited for political purposes, urging protesters to be responsible and respect people and property.
According to the interior ministry, 937 police officers and 149 teachers and school staff have been injured since the protests began, while nearly 8,000 people have been arrested.
The national police union, Alliance Police Nationale, has filed a lawsuit against the government for 'putting lives in danger' over what it called 'contradictory orders' given to officers deployed in the protests.
Macron called on his ministers to come up with 'concrete responses' to the unrest within weeks, as the protests have morphed from a protest movement to urban violence.
The protests, which began over education funding and class conditions, have seen more than a quarter of a million people rally nationwide, with high school students demanding better learning conditions.
Union Syndicale Lycéène reported that around 1,800 high schools have been blocked, disrupted, or closed across France, while the Education Ministry reported 891 establishments experiencing full or partial suspension of classes.
Security officials fear that far-left anarchist groups could hijack the movement, leading to further violence, especially in central Paris.
The protests come seven months before the presidential election, with opinion polls consistently reflecting deep dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron and his center-right government.
Macron urged protesters to be responsible, saying the problem is when individuals are there solely to cause damage and create disorder.
The protests have also seen the use of tear gas and stun grenades, with demonstrators setting up their own smartphone app to track police movements.
Macron's government is facing pressure to address the aspirations and grievances of young people at home, as the protests continue to escalate.
The government has set up a crisis cell to monitor the demonstrations, as the protests are likely to be a key indicator of the social climate heading toward the election.
What's confirmed
- Riot police clashed with high school students across France on Friday and unions called for teachers to strike as President Emmanuel Macron’s government battled to contain increasingly violent protests over classroom conditions and funding.
- French authorities detained dozens across France on on Saturday at the start of nationwide protests against the cost of living, in what is likely to be a key indicator of the social climate heading toward elections to replace President Emmanuel Macron.
- Macron called on Friday, October 16, "for calm and respect," adding the right to protest went hand in hand with "respect for people and property." Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Friday ordered a crisis cell be set up to monitor the demonstrations.
What's still developing
- "Some political parties don’t hesitate to say that we need to disobey the law. That’s what Robespierre and other revolutionaries taught us in 1789."
- "instrumentalized by the allies of France Unbowed (LFI)... for electoral reasons."
- "There is a constitutional right to protest and to express oneself. But this right comes with the need to respect. Respect for people, respect for property, and therefore a commitment not to insult or destroy."
- "is no longer mere protest! It is pure and simple violence, organized and repeated to destabilize our society… All necessary means will be used to restore order in the face of the rioters."
- Responding to criticism of police tactics, he pledged that any “accidents” would be investigated and described allegations that the police are racist as a “lie.” More than two weeks of class boycotts and school blockades, and policing that has led to more than 6,500 arrests, mostly of minors, have become a flashpoint in the early days of the presidential election campaign.
- (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Susan Fenton) Venerdì la polizia antisommossa si è scontrata con studenti delle scuole superiori in tutta la Francia e i sindacati hanno indetto uno sciopero degli insegnanti, mentre il governo del presidente Emmanuel Macron lottava per contenere le proteste sempre più violente sulle condizioni delle aule e sui finanziamenti.
- With just months to go before elections to replace President Emmanuel Macron, French authorities had been hoping that the protests would start to ease ahead of half-term holidays to start at the end of the week.
- PARIS, Oct 13 — French high school pupils staged fresh nationwide rallies today urging better learning conditions, supported by university students and Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, with authorities and participants wary of further violence.
- PARIS: The student protest movement that has spread across France is now “out of control,” the Paris police chief said on Saturday, urging demonstrators to return to peaceful action and warning that authorities would respond firmly to violence and vandalism.
- Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on X that “rioters have once again sullied the October 17 demonstrations over the cost of living”, claiming the protesters’ demands had been “hijacked by the far left”.
- Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin told RTL radio that police had arrested 2,000 people, most of them teenagers, since the protests began.
- “We are 35 per class, we don’t have enough chairs in classrooms, the one hour lunch break (is too short) for everyone to get food,” 15-year-old Kesia told Reuters in the Paris suburb of Pantin before running off as the police used tear gas.