Several hundred people marched Thursday evening in the center of Rennes to denounce the immigration law, breaking several shop windows and burning trash cans in the process.
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Several hundred demonstrators gathered in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) against the promulgation of the immigration law on the evening of Thursday January 25. Several fires were lit by demonstrators at Place Hoche, in the city center, noted the journalist from France Bleu Armorique on site.
This wild demonstration, called by several far-left movements, brought together around 450 people at the start of the evening according to the prefecture. Starting from Place Sainte-Anne around 8:30 p.m., the procession crisscrossed the city center behind a banner proclaiming “racist law anti-fascist response”.
A clothing store was also targeted by demonstrators who smashed the window and took away clothes. Several other stores were targets of looting. Many trash cans were set on fire and cars damaged. Barricades made of trash cans and construction grills were erected in several places in the city center. The police used tear gas to try to push back the protesters.
“Our city and our businesses must be protected”
“A lot of sadness, anger and incomprehension this evening in the face of the damage perpetrated by hooded extremists in the city center of Rennes”writes the mayor on X. “Our city and our businesses must be protected. The people of Rennes have had enough!” “I extend all my solidarity and all my support to the traders whose work tools have been vandalized. We are at their side. Municipal services are ready to intervene as soon as order has been restored”she finishes.
This demonstration comes a few hours after the Constitutional Council largely censored the immigration law. The government announced that it was preparing to promulgate the text “in the next few hours” to apply the first measures “from this weekend”.
