Clashes and 296 Arrests Mark Third Week of Cost-of-Living Protests in France
Clashes and 296 arrests marked the third week of cost-of-living protests across France, where 70,000 police officers were deployed amid Halloween unrest.
Clashes erupted on Saturday evening in Paris and other cities across France during protests against the rising cost of life and poor conditions in educational institutions, leading to 296 arrests. This marks the third consecutive week of demonstrations, which have increasingly turned violent, involving riots, looting, and property destruction.
Security forces deployed 70,000 police officers nationwide following calls for an uprising on social media for Halloween night. Despite bans on city-center marches in major cities like Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, and Marseille, approximately 320,000 people participated in what organizers termed the "third wave" of protests.
In Lyon, the country's third-largest city, protesters were filmed stomping on Israeli and US flags before setting them on fire. The demonstrations, heavily led by radical left figures such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon, also addressed concerns over rising racism following a recent fatal terrorist attack in a Paris suburb. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu acknowledged intelligence failures in handling the widespread unrest, which has caused billions of euros in damages.
