France riots: Fresh night of chaos as protesters hurl fireworks at police with tear gas response

Masked protesters hurled large objects and fireworks at police as a second weekend of chaos erupted in France last night. More than 1,300 arrests were made on Saturday with 53 security forces personnel injured as more violent riots broke out in several cities again leading to looting and vandalism. Police were forced to respond to the with clouds of tear gas, deafening sound grenades and jets of water cannons launched. Security has ramped up after the country was plunged into chaos last week as demonstrators furious at the cost of living and poor school conditions, causing widespread disorder. More than 70,000 officers were deployed as Paris, the City of Love, was once again turned into a place of hate and fear. After mayhem unfolded with fires started, public buildings stormed and clashes with law enforcement officers last weekend, more than 400,000 people rallied across France in fresh challenge to President Emmanuel Macron. Almost 300 protests were recorded nationwide. The Paris march began peacefully, a week after widespread rioting and looting during protests across the country. But near the demonstration's endpoint in eastern Paris, protesters wearing face coverings threw objects and launched firecrackers as police as officers with megaphones urged protesters to disperse. Some demonstrators panicked as tear-gas canisters landed in their midst, scattering with screams. Veteran protesters shouted after them: “Don’t run!” The Interior Ministry put nationwide turnout at 410,000 - fewer than the 550,000 it said protested last weekend - while the CGT union that helped organise some of Saturday's protests estimated nearly 800,000. The ministry’s estimate included 110,000 in Paris, where authorities confined the march to the city’s southeastern edge, away from the centre. The CGT put the number of protesters in Paris at 250,000. This morning, French police have been guarding major national monuments in Paris, standing guard beneath the Arc de Triomphe as shopkeepers boarded up storefronts across Paris. Near the Saint-Lazare train station Saturday, Akram Ahmed, a 34-year-old contractor, was boarding up an optician’s shop. “I got the call last night,” he said. “The owner seemed desperate. He said I was saving his life.” Art Basel, one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art fairs, opened to the public Friday, but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organisers to cancel the weekend program. The unrest is directly challenging President Macron's authority in his final months as president. He will leave office in May amid a high stakes battle. On one side, the far-right National Rally party, which has accused his government of failing to protect the public and urged people to channel their anger into votes for its candidate Marine Le Pen. On the far left, presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has backed demonstrators and criticized policing that has left some teenage protesters with life-changing injuries. Weekend protests weren't restricted to France. In Italy, almost 100 people were arrested in Rome, as people take to the streets across Europe. There have been clashes with police across the country with tensions running high especially in Turin, Bologna and Florence as well as protesters entered the Colosseum in Rome. At the Largo Santa Susanna square in Rome, protesters fought with police throwing tables, fireworks and eggs. They were driven back with water hoses. What began last month as a protest over staff shortages at one high school southeast of Paris spread nationwide, drawing students demanding more funding for education and workers seeking help with soaring costs for fuel and other necessities. In Paris, Bénédicte Pittion, a 46-year-old teacher, marched with her 16-year-old daughter, Garance, a high school student — in their first protest together. “The young people who have been demonstrating have not been heard, and as a parent and as a teacher, I stand with them,” Pittion said. Before yesterday's disorder, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez spoke of the need for the 70,000 law enforcement officers to be deployed, along with helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannons. In addition, elite police units will help secure public buildings like city halls in a “highly mobile” security operation, he explained. Student groups want 250,000 more places in higher education and an end to selection through Parcoursup, the national admissions system. Their joint 10-point plan also calls for more teachers and repairs to schools and universities.