France: 800,000 Take to the Streets, 272 Arrested and Town Halls Set Ablaze

On October 17, former Yellow Vest protesters, high school and university students, climate activists, unions and farmers marched against the cost of living and deteriorating public services. Organizers put turnout at 800,000, compared with 550,000 counted by the Interior Ministry, including 110,000 in Paris; authorities reported 272 arrests nationwide. Violence broke out in several cities: a wing of Limoges town hall caught fire, the prefect’s official residence in Bordeaux was ransacked, and a protester in Saint-Étienne lost a hand when a police grenade exploded. Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned the violence, while the Bouches-du-Rhône prefect reported 29 injured security-force members, two seriously.