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

On October 17, Yellow Vest protesters, high school and university students, climate activists, unions and farmers demonstrated against the cost of living and deteriorating public services. Organizers claimed 800,000 participants, compared with 550,000 counted by the Interior Ministry, while the CGT reported 1,750 gatherings. Violence broke out in several cities: a fire damaged Limoges town hall, and the prefect’s official residence in Bordeaux was vandalized; 272 people had been arrested nationwide. In Saint-Étienne, a protester’s hand was torn off by a police grenade, and the Bouches-du-Rhône prefect reported 29 law-enforcement officers injured, two seriously.