French protests, USA News (London/Paris): The BBC has once again described riots in France as peaceful, as more than 1,000 protestors have been arrested in renewed clashes across the country. Tear gas and water cannons were fired at protestors as clashes with police erupted, and chaos spread across French cities.
Earlier, GB News’s Dougie Beattie was caught between the two sides, dodging tear gas canisters launched from behind a heavily armoured police shield line. Fireworks, bricks, and bottles were thrown at police on their line during the unrest.
Clashes Erupt in Paris and Beyond
Violent clashes occurred as darkness fell on the French capital after a march from Porte d’Italie to Porte de Vincennes. Police carried out baton charges against groups of masked young people who were smashing windows at a car dealership along the Cours de Vincennes. An elite unit ordinarily tasked with tackling organised crime and counter-terrorism was among the forces stationed in the area.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told AFP that several thousand radical activists gathered at the rear of the march, including around 500 individuals identified as rioters. Reporting on the scenes, the BBC website ran with the headline noting that clashes erupted in Paris after largely peaceful mass protests across France. Defending their reporting, the BBC stated that no one watching, reading, or listening to their coverage could be in any doubt about the fires, looting, and violence, while also providing broader context regarding the hundreds of thousands on the streets.
Nationwide Security Operation and Response
Outside of Paris, young people ignited rubbish bins and fashioned roadblocks from metal sheeting in Marseille, with footage showing a police vehicle ploughing through a flaming barricade. Protesters in Bordeaux were seen tearing boards from a building to build a street barricade, while officers in Lyon fired tear gas grenades at a crowd in a prohibited zone.
During the day’s events, an estimated 410,000 people took to the streets across France, according to authorities, while trade unions placed the figure closer to 800,000. By the end of the day, officials confirmed nearly 1,000 people had been detained. French authorities had mobilised approximately 70,000 police officers nationwide, alongside armoured vehicles and helicopters. French President Emmanuel Macron previously described related riots as seditious acts aimed at bringing down the Republic, announcing that only rallies organized by officially recognized trade unions would be permitted going forward.
