Why is France 'burning'? From student anger to nationwide unrest, is Yellow Vest movement back amid looting and clashes?

France has witnessed a fresh wave of protests, with students, teachers, trade unions and activists linked to the Yellow Vest movement taking to the streets over rising living costs, pressure on public services and broader economic grievances.

Demonstrations across several cities turned violent, with reports of looting, arson and clashes between protesters and police.

While hundreds of thousands of people reportedly joined marches across the country, violent groups targeted public buildings, damaged property and looted shops, including luxury boutiques and supermarkets, according to reports by AFP and The Associated Press.

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The demonstrations began with students protesting staff shortages and deteriorating school conditions. They broadened to include anger over rising living costs, inequality and declining public services.

Both reflect public frustration over living costs and economic inequality, and the latest demonstrations included calls to revive the Yellow Vest movement. The 2018 movement began over fuel prices before expanding into wider economic grievances.

The Yellow Vest movement is a grassroots protest movement that emerged in France in 2018, named after the high-visibility vests motorists are required to keep in their vehicles. It grew from protests over fuel prices and living costs into broader opposition to economic inequality and government policies.

While many people marched peacefully, violent groups looted shops, damaged public buildings, set fires and clashed with police. Reports describe these groups as a violent fringe; the protests also involved wider concerns over living costs, schools and public services.

Former Yellow Vest figures and activists joined students, teachers and trade unionists in the demonstrations. Whether this becomes a sustained nationwide movement like the 2018 protests, or remains a broader but fragmented expression of discontent, is unclear.

The unrest has revived questions about whether France is seeing a resurgence of the anger that fuelled the Yellow Vest movement in 2018, when protests over fuel prices and the cost of living developed into a wider challenge to President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies.

France protests: Public buildings targeted, shops looted

Violence was reported in several French cities on Saturday. In Limoges, a fire engulfed the 19th-century city hall. Maurice Barate, the prefect of Haute-Vienne, told French broadcaster LCI that the blaze had been deliberately set, according to media reports.

In Marseille, protesters reportedly broke into the city hall and defaced parts of the building with graffiti.

In Lyon, the city’s tourist office was reportedly set on fire. Masked groups also attacked public buildings, set fires and clashed with police in other locations, says reports.

Paris and several other cities witnessed looting as masked youths targeted commercial establishments amid demonstrations against inflation and the rising cost of living.

The scale of the violence has put pressure on authorities to restore order while addressing the economic and social concerns driving the protests.

Macron, Lecornu vow action against violent protesters

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government would not be intimidated by violence, accusing far-left groups and criminals of seeking to exploit the unrest ahead of next year’s presidential election.

“To those who clearly want to use this violence as a ‘warm-up’ before the presidential election, I say clearly: We will not let ourselves be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence,” Lecornu wrote in a post on X.

President Emmanuel Macron also vowed to prosecute those responsible for the attacks, saying the country would stand together against groups seeking to undermine public institutions and disrupt peaceful demonstrations.

French police reportedly arrested at least 1,800 people nationwide following clashes and incidents of looting, according to reports.

Trump blames immigration for unrest in France

US President Donald Trump weighed in on the unrest on Sunday, blaming immigration for the violence in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country,” Trump wrote.

His remarks came as French authorities dealt with clashes in cities including Paris, Nice and Marseille. Trump’s statement offered his interpretation of the unrest; the protests have also been linked to rising living costs, concerns about public services and wider political grievances.

The demonstrations have drawn attention beyond France, with smaller protests also reported in Belgium, Portugal and Italy amid concerns over the cost of living across Europe. In Albania, protesters again rallied over alleged government corruption, unemployment and education standards.

What is the Yellow Vest movement?

The Yellow Vest movement, known in French as Mouvement des gilets jaunes, is a grassroots protest movement that emerged in France in 2018. It takes its name from the high-visibility yellow vests that motorists in the country are required to keep in their vehicles.

The movement began on November 17, 2018, largely in response to rising fuel prices and living costs under Macron.

It soon expanded into a broader protest against economic inequality, perceived government indifference to working-class concerns and the cost of everyday life.

The demonstrations drew support from people across different social and economic backgrounds, including workers and residents of smaller towns who felt left behind by economic policies. Weekly protests continued until June 2020, when activity subsided during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The movement became one of the most significant challenges to Macron’s presidency, highlighting the political consequences of policies perceived as placing a disproportionate burden on ordinary households.

Is the Yellow Vest movement making a comeback?

According to Al Jazeera, former Yellow Vest figures and activists joined high school students, teachers and trade unionists in demonstrations on October 17 across major cities, including Paris, Marseille, Rennes and Saint-Étienne.

The key question is whether these demonstrations develop into a sustained nationwide movement comparable to the Yellow Vest protests, or remain a broader but fragmented expression of public discontent.

About the Author

Bhanu Pratap is a journalist who reports and writes on foreign affairs, India’s foreign policy, geopolitics and strategic affairs. He closely follows diplomatic developments in New Delhi and has a keen interest in defence and national security.<br> <br> Bhanu also focuses on in-depth, interview-based reports and regularly speaking with experts and policymakers to bring perspectives and context to major developments around the world.<br> <br> He is also interested in stories with strong humanitarian angles.<br><br> One such report examined the cases of Indian nationals who were allegedly recruited and forced into Russia’s war against Ukraine. While reporting the story, Bhanu spoke to the families of those affected and documented their experiences. The report was later taken into account by the United Nations in its findings on human rights violations linked to the war in Ukraine.<br> <br> For Bhanu, the zeal to produce meaningful and impactful journalism remains at the heart of his work.<br> <br>He has previously worked with Firstpost, NDTV, Newslaundry and Republic.<br><br> Bhanu studied at the Delhi School of Journalism, University of Delhi. He initially chose science with plans to pursue engineering, influenced by conventional expectations, but fate had other plans and eventually led him to journalism.<br><br> Beyond the newsroom, Bhanu enjoys exploring culture and history and often spends his days off on heritage walks. He is also passionate about travelling, biking and listening to folk music.<br> <br>For tips, reviews and suggestions, you can reach him at bhanu.pratap@htdigital.in.