France dodges repeat of looting, riots

WEEKEND DEMONSTRATION: ‘The period of dialogue has lasted long enough,’ a Renouveau Lyceen high-school union member said, adding: ‘We now expect action’

France avoided a repeat of large-scale violence and looting that marred nationwide protests a week ago, suggesting the government’s decision to boost police numbers and contain marches paid off.

About 110,000 people on Saturday took part in a mostly peaceful demonstration confined to the edge of Paris, and another 300,000 turned out across the country, the French Ministry of the Interior said.

The CGT union put the figure at 800,000.

A protester kicks a tear gas canister during a demonstration in Paris on Saturday.

Photo: AFP

Some scuffles broke out, especially on the margins and at the end of processions, with hundreds of masked people dressed in black taking on security personnel, who used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds.

While the level of violence toward the police was again high, French Ministry of the Interior Laurent Nunez said authorities were able to prevent the looting of shops and damage to buildings seen on Oct. 17. He blamed the clashes on the ultra left, which he said was seeking to “start and finish the uprising.”

“All the warning signs were there so that we put in a place a significant presence,” he said late on Saturday. “We will of course remain fully focused in the days and weeks ahead to face up to this threat, because it is a threat.”

The government deployed about 70,000 security officials, including elite anti-terror forces, after being caught flat-footed a week ago, when nationwide demonstrations drew more than 500,000 people and descended into violence and looting.

Rioters attacked public buildings and broke into stores across the country, including in the capital, as well as fighting with police and setting fire to cars. French President Emmanuel Macron, the target of much of the anger, on Thursday acknowledged “planning failings and elements of surprise.”

For the latest protests, soldiers were brought in to guard sensitive buildings, and helicopters and armored vehicles known as Centaurs were made available on Saturday. Some cities banned protests and extended curfews.

Museums including Paris’s Louvre were closed, while many shops were boarded up. A soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais in Paris was postponed.

The protest movement began last month with high schoolers blockading establishments, calling for more teachers, repairs to buildings and an end to Parcoursup, a computerized college admissions system.

Nathanael Combary, of the Renouveau Lyceen high-school union, which is due to meet with French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu today, said students were ready to continue demonstrating in the absence of concrete measures.

“The period of dialogue has lasted long enough,” he told newspaper La Tribune Dimanche. “We now expect action.”