French police clash with protesters in Lyon on day of nationwide rallies, strike

French riot police fired tear gas and charged a group of protesters in the French city of Lyon on Thursday as demonstrations took place across the country in a renewed challenge to President Emmanuel Macron after weeks of unrest. Some of the protesters were seen shouting anti-police slogans and some were dressed all in black, with face coverings. The Interior Ministry said police in Lyon had been confronted by several hundred hardcore protesters and that the violence had been contained although tensions remained high. The nationwide protests and a strike by public workers, called by trade unions and backed by student groups, come after demonstrations over living costs, public services and education triggered the worst civil unrest France has seen in years. The unrest comes only five months before a presidential election which could pit far-right candidate Marine Le Pen against hard-left rival Jean-Luc Melenchon in a second-round run-off. Macron, who is serving his second term and is unpopular, cannot run again. SCHOOL ABLAZE AFTER FIREWORKS ARE HURLED The Interior Ministry said people throwing fireworks had caused a fire at a high school near the city of Toulouse in the southwest on Thursday morning, forcing pupils and staff to evacuate the building while firefighters doused the flames. “This criminal behaviour is an absolute scandal,” said Education Minister Edouard Geffray on X. French high school students and other demonstrators had earlier faced off against riot police in Paris as they blocked a street with rubbish bins on Thursday morning. While the demonstrations in Lyon and other cities including Marseille and Nantes began in the morning, the main protest in Paris was only scheduled to start at 2 p.m. (1300 GMT), from Place de la Republique. The Eiffel Tower was shut on Thursday because of the strike. “The government tried to block the demonstrations. The demonstrations are bigger than ever,” Sophie Binet, head of the CGT trade union, told reporters. She estimated that some 250,000 people were demonstrating across France. “High school students, pensioners, students, workers, all together. Unity wins,” read one banner at the protest in Lyon. POLICE DEPLOY IN LARGE NUMBERS “Our pay has not kept up with inflation,” said Mehdi Dumontroty, a 45-year-old firefighter who was joining the protest in Paris. “What happened this summer proves that we were right when we said we needed more resources to deal with the crisis that we faced,” he said, referring to wildfires caused earlier this year by intense heat waves. Authorities had sought to lower tensions after riots and looting on October 17 caught security forces off guard, leaving damaged shops and public buildings across the country and fuelling criticism of Macron’s handling of the crisis. Around 70,000 police were on duty nationwide, a comparable figure to recent weekends. The French government has defended police tactics while saying any abuses would be investigated. The strike contributed to a reduction in France’s nuclear output early on Thursday. However, no major problems were reported on the transport network. The Education Ministry said just over 15% of French teaching staff had joined the strike.