French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne condemned Thursday’s violence at protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.
24.3. 2:49•Updated 24.3. 10:17 a.m
Thursday’s protests in France were the most violent so far since protests against the pension reform began in January. Despite the violence, the demonstrations were mostly peaceful.
The main entrance of the Bordeaux city hall was set on fire in connection with the protests on Thursday evening, local authority sources say.
The fire was extinguished soon, and there is still no further information about the suspected arsonist.
The masked protesters who rioted in the capital Paris destroyed shop windows and park benches, among other things, and attacked a McDonald’s restaurant. The police tried to quell the rioting with tear gas and stun grenades.
In addition to Paris, the police also had to resort to the use of tear gas in the cities of Nantes, Lorient and Lille during demonstrations that became restless. In the city of Rennes, the police reportedly used water cannons to quell the unrest.
In Lille, the city’s police chief was slightly injured after being hit by a stone thrown by a protester.
French interior minister by Gérald Darmanin across France, nearly 150 police officers were injured and at least 172 people were arrested, including 72 in Paris. According to Darmanin, around 140 fires were set in Paris during the protests.
Prime Minister of France Elisabeth Borne condemned the violence in Thursday’s demonstrations.
Borne wrote on Twitter that people have the right to express their opinion and make their disagreement clear. Instead, according to him, the violence and destruction seen now cannot be accepted.
Information on the number of protesters is conflicting
According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than a million people took part in demonstrations across France, including nearly 120,000 in the capital, Paris. It is the largest number of protesters in Paris since January, when protests against the pension reform began. According to the government, 1.28 million people demonstrated on March 7.
According to trade unions, there were 3.5 million people demonstrating across France on Thursday, including 800,000 in Paris.
The story was corrected at 9:04 a.m.: Darmanin is the French interior minister, not the prime minister.
Corrected at 10:16 a.m.: The surname of the French interior minister is Darmanin, not Darman.
Sources: Reuters, AFP