PARIS (AP) — French authorities expressed relief Sunday after mass protests The rising cost of living resulted in less violence than previous weekends. But police expect more protests high schools at the heart of the movement reopen Monday after their fall vacation.
Germany faced its own challenges after Nationwide protests on Saturday ended with rioters attacking police and looting stores in some towns. Across Europe, hundreds of thousands of people took part in mostly peaceful marches on Saturday. inspired by young peopledespite scattered troubles.
In Paris, rioters targeted police with Molotov cocktails at the end of Saturday’s march in the east of the city, injuring three officers and setting a car on fire, police said. Across the city, masked groups threw fireworks at police from a vantage point in front of the Eiffel Tower, and police repeatedly charged, sending panicked visitors fleeing.
But overall, the violence was less serious than on October 17, when a city hall was burned and more than 2,000 stores were looted. hours of violence that the authorities did not seem ready to control, or during the demonstrations which followed on October 24.
Police arrested 779 people on Saturday, compared to 2,628 on October 17 and 1,314 last weekend. Police in Paris and Marseille said a handful of stores had been targeted, but no major damage was reported. Around 70,000 police officers have been deployed across the country.
Protesters described various difficulties to the Associated Press: with rodents in classrooms, low-wage jobs, putting gas in their cars.
Police are bracing for more tensions as schools reopen Monday, with some groups calling for blockades. On Thursday, France faces a general strike on trains and public services and protests by students and unions demanding higher wages and other measures.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s government is focused on Thursday’s actions and negotiations with unions – a familiar ballet in French politics – and hopes that the riots, more difficult to control, will subside, according to an official close to the president.
The official described Saturday’s protests as “a return to Republican order” but acknowledged that the situation is “not perfect.” The official was not authorized to be publicly named in accordance with presidential policy.
Germany regains calm after a night of unrest
More than 100,000 people, mostly young people, demonstrated peacefully across Germany on Saturday, demanding that the government invest more money in education, housing, climate protection and make everyday life more affordable. In some cities, protests turned violent at night.
Following a demonstration in Frankfurt, rioters attacked police in the city center and looted stores. More than 100 police officers were injured and 54 people aged 13 to 29 were arrested. It is unclear how many protesters were injured. Police said 17 stores were damaged and five of them were looted. After police cordoned off an area of the city center, the situation calmed early Sunday morning.
“I am shocked by the violent excesses of Frankfurt, which will not go unpunished,” said Boris Rhein, governor of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located. “Anyone who behaves like the attackers in downtown Frankfurt places themselves outside of our society.”
Violence also broke out on Saturday evening in Cologne, where police used water cannons to disperse crowds. In Berlin, protesters attacked police with bottles and pyrotechnics.
The organizers of Saturday’s protests, a youth initiative called “Gen Z regelt” — roughly “Generation Z Got It” — posted a statement on Instagram distancing themselves from “all forms of violence, as well as acts of violence committed by other groups or individuals” who were not part of the protests.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt accused “violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from the immigrant community” of hijacking peaceful protests. “The rioters and looters will be identified and held responsible,” Dobrindt told the Bild daily on Sunday.
The cost of housing inspired protesters in Portugal
In PortugalRiot police evicted protesters from a Lisbon square overnight following protests for more affordable housing. Thousands of people marched through the city during the day and at the end a few hundred camped out in Rossio, an iconic square in downtown Lisbon. Police moved in early Sunday, removing tents and pushing people away, and some were arrested.
Portuguese demonstrators have been protesting for weeks, taking inspiration from the Spanish movement to denounce the rising cost of living, particularly the cost of housing.
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Grieshaber reported from Berlin. Helena Alves in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed to this report.
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