France: Over 770 arrested after another day of protests marked by violence by far left and political clashes
The Paris Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation on Sunday into "attempted murder" after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at security forces during Saturday's demonstration in the French capital,
French riot police officers are surrounded by fireworks
More than 770 people were arrested during the weekend protests in France, the Ministry of the Interior reported on Sunday, one day after hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets to protest rising prices. The day—the third consecutive day of demonstrations against the rising cost of living—ended with violent clashes in several cities, including Paris, where the throwing of a Molotov cocktail at police is being investigated as an attempted murder.
The Ministry of the Interior noted that no "serious incidents" were reported toward the end of Saturday, though it confirmed 779 arrests nationwide. The Paris Prosecutor's Office specified that 105 of those arrests took place in the capital, 88 of them related to the demonstrations and 17 to Halloween night.
Investigation into attempted murder
The Paris Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into attempted murder on Sunday following the throwing of a Molotov cocktail at security forces during Saturday's demonstration in the French capital, judicial sources confirmed to AFP. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the attack as an "attempted murder" and attributed the riots to a "hard core of several hundred vandals" and far-left groups, whom he accused of using "unprecedented violence" against police officers and gendarmes.
The incident occurred at the end of the "Act III" march against the rising cost of living, near the Porte de Charenton. Footage released shows how a homemade bomb exploded at the feet of a squad of mobile gendarmes and caused one of them to catch fire—the captain in command—who suffered second-degree burns on his legs but was only slightly injured. The officer described the burning sensation he felt and the "rain" of projectiles that rained down on his unit from a "determined" group.
"Explosive objects were thrown at about fifteen gendarmes and also at police officers," the Prosecutor's Office stated.
The investigation, opened on charges of attempted murder against public officials, is ongoing, and so far, no suspect has been arrested in connection with this specific attack.
A country on the brink of social tension
The French government thus faces a two-he challenge: responding to the economic demands of a society weary of the rising cost of living and, at the same time, maintaining public order in the face of far-left groups that systematically resort to violence. The investigation into attempted murder marks a turning point in the judicial response to these incidents.
Far-left groups such as La France Insoumise (LFI) have helped fuel the climate of confrontation and, through their rhetoric, legitimize those seeking to destabilize institutions, thereby exacerbating political polarization ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
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