France arrests 272 as Macron warns protests exploited

Violent clashes erupted across France on Saturday as student demonstrations entered their fourth week, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to warn that the unrest is being exploited for political purposes. Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon stated that during a weekly cabinet meeting, Macron acknowledged young people have legitimate concerns but asserted these are being turned into urban violence. She added that the president instructed ministers to propose concrete responses to the situation within weeks.

The French interior ministry reported at least 272 arrests nationwide following a national day of protest over rising costs of living and student grievances. Police in Paris used tear gas and water cannons to disperse groups in the Place de la République, where individuals wearing hoods and masks threw fireworks and other objects at officers. The ministry also documented assaults on police, looting, and damage to public buildings, though many protests elsewhere proceeded without violence.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu took a sharper stance than Macron, claiming the student movement has been instrumentalized by the allies of France Unbowed (LFI) for electoral reasons. LFI presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon participated in a Paris protest earlier in the week, while LFI councilors, deputies, and mayors joined student blockades in multiple cities. With presidential elections scheduled for April and May, opposition parties have engaged with the ongoing unrest. Marine Le Pen, the leading candidate for the conservative National Rally party, voiced support for the police while blaming students for any violence.

Student groups, unions, rights organizations, and parents have accused police of using excessive force. The interior ministry opened internal investigations into 36 allegations of police violence against demonstrators. In response, the national police union Alliance Police Nationale filed a lawsuit against the government, alleging that contradictory orders put officers' lives in danger. Walid Hrar, a police officer and union representative, told The Associated Press that officers feel betrayed by political leaders due to unclear instructions and public expressions of empathy toward rioters. Hrar noted that some political parties encourage disobedience to the law, citing the legacy of the French Revolution.

Macron reiterated the right to protest during the European Council summit in Brussels on Friday, emphasizing that this right requires respect for people and property. Lecornu informed Parliament that 937 police officers and 149 teachers and school staff have been injured since the protests began. The French justice ministry reported that nearly 8,000 people have been arrested in total.

The unrest has spread to neighboring Belgium, where several hundred mostly young people clashed with police in Brussels and Liege. Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin described the events as organized violence intended to destabilize society and vowed to use all necessary means to restore order. Small, peaceful solidarity events occurred in Luxembourg and French-speaking Switzerland without arrests. French authorities expect the protest movement to ease in coming days as schools close until November 2 for the Toussaint holiday.