renewed violence in the processions

A spectacle of desolation and immense fear for the inhabitants of a Parisian district. The wooden facade of a building caught fire, as protesters set fire to the trash cans just in front, Thursday, March 23. A woman testifies: “We were all putting it out with fire extinguishers. […] We in France, what’s going on?” In Paris, Thursday, March 23, the demonstration against the pension reform quickly degenerated with tense face-to-face encounters and law enforcement who increased the number of arrests. According to the authorities, 1,500 Black Bloc would have infiltrated the procession. However, some demonstrators still came to fight.

457 arrests

Visiting the prefecture’s crisis headquarters, Gérald Darmanin follows the evolution of the situation. “These damages are very significant. […] They must be condemned with the first force”, said the Minister of the Interior. In Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) incidents on the sidelines of the demonstrations are also to be deplored. Some fires are lit and some troublemakers justify their actions by evoking the speech of Emmanuel Macron. “He has a contempt for his people. That’s what made the anger overflow”, says a young woman. In Lyon (Rhône), thugs attacked street furniture. The police carried out 457 arrests during this ninth day of mobilization.