Paris reports 855 detentions after violent France protests

PARIS

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Police in Paris said on Oct. 18 they had detained a record 855 people over violence during nationwide protests against rising living costs, while authorities said a fire at Limoges town hall had been contained.

The Paris figure covered detentions linked to the capital’s protests on Oct. 17, rather than the nationwide total. Deputy Mayor Lamia El Aaraje said the city had experienced "a level of violence that I believe we had never seen before."

In Limoges, Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate said protesters had deliberately set fire to the 143-year-old town hall. Much of the building’s roof collapsed during the unrest, he told television channel LCI.

Barate said on Oct. 18 the fire had been contained.

The demonstrations brought together Yellow Vest protesters, high school and university students, farmers, climate activists and trade unionists. Police estimated crowds of around 20,000 each in Lyon and Nantes and 10,000 in Rennes, according to Anadolu Agency, citing BFMTV.

In Paris, police used tear gas and water cannon around Place de la République, where a vehicle was set ablaze. In Lyon, masked individuals broke windows at a tourist office, with looting and a fire reported.

The protests reflected anger over living expenses and followed weeks of student demonstrations demanding more education funding and better conditions in schools.

The Yellow Vest movement first emerged in France in 2018 against fuel taxes and the cost of living.