Why is France “on fire”? From student anger to nationwide riots, has the yellow vest movement made a comeback amid looting and clashes? | Today’s news
France saw a new wave of protests as students, teachers, unions and activists linked to the yellow vest movement took to the streets over rising living costs, pressure on public services and wider economic grievances.
Demonstrations turned violent in several cities, with reports of looting, arson and clashes between protesters and police.
While hundreds of thousands of people reportedly took part in marches across the country, violent groups targeted public buildings, damaged property and looted shops, including luxury boutiques and supermarkets, AFP and The Associated Press reported.
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The demonstration began with students protesting staff shortages and deteriorating conditions in schools. They have expanded to include anger over the rising cost of living, inequality and declining public services.
Both reflect public frustration over the cost of living and economic inequality, and recent demonstrations have included calls for a revival of the yellow vest movement. The 2018 movement began over fuel prices before spreading to wider economic woes.
The yellow vest movement is a grassroots protest movement that originated in France in 2018 and is named after the highly visible vests that motorists are required to wear in their vehicles. It grew from protests against fuel prices and the cost of living into wider 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 included broader concerns about the cost of living, schools and public services.
Students, teachers and trade unionists were joined in the demonstrations by former representatives and activists of the yellow vests. It is unclear whether this will become a sustained nationwide movement like the 2018 protests or remain a broader but fragmented expression of discontent.
The unrest has revived questions about whether France is experiencing a resurgence of the anger that fueled the yellow vest movement in 2018, when protests over fuel prices and the cost of living developed into a broader challenge to President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies.
Protests in France: Attacks on public buildings, looted shops
Violence was reported in several French cities on Saturday. In Limoges, a fire engulfed the town hall from the 19th century. Maurice Barate, prefect of Haute-Vienne, told France’s LCI television that the fire was set deliberately, according to media reports.
In Marseille, protesters reportedly stormed the town 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 at other locations, reports said.
Paris and several other cities witnessed looting as masked youths targeted business establishments amid demonstrations against inflation and the rising cost of living.
The scale of the violence put pressure on the authorities to restore order while addressing the economic and social problems that led to the protests.
Macron, Lecornu promise action against violent protesters
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government would not be intimidated by violence and accused far-left groups and criminals of trying to exploit the unrest ahead of next year’s presidential election.
“To those who apparently want to use this violence as a ‘warm-up’ before the presidential election, I say clearly: We will not 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 fight together against groups seeking to undermine public institutions and disrupt peaceful demonstrations.
French police have reportedly arrested at least 1,800 people across the country following clashes and looting incidents, according to reports.
Trump blames riots in France on immigration
US President Donald Trump addressed 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 a completely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has broken this 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 riots; the protests were also linked to the rising cost of living, concerns about public services and wider political grievances.
The demonstrations attracted attention outside of France, with smaller protests also reported in Belgium, Portugal and Italy amid concerns about the cost of living across Europe. In Albania, protesters rallied again 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 highly visible yellow vests that motorists in the country are required to wear in their vehicles.
The movement began on 17 November 2018, largely in response to rising fuel prices and the cost of living under Macron.
It soon expanded into a wider protest against economic inequality, perceived government indifference to the concerns of the working class and the costs of everyday life.
The demonstrations drew support from people from a variety of 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 has become one of the most prominent challenges to Macron’s presidency, highlighting the political implications of policies seen as a disproportionate burden on ordinary households.
Will the yellow vest movement return?
According to Al Jazeera, former Yellow Vest officials and activists joined high school students, teachers and trade unionists in demonstrations on October 17 in major cities, including Paris, Marseille, Rennes and Saint-Étienne.
The key question is whether these demonstrations will develop into a sustained nationwide movement comparable to the Yellow Vest protests, or remain a broader but fragmented expression of public discontent.
