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Protesters Burn US And Israeli Flags In Lyon As France Cost-Of-Living Protests Turn Violent
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Protesters in Lyon burned US and Israeli flags during cost-of-living demonstrations. Video shows flags placed on tram shelter roof and set on fire amid clashes.
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Lyon flags set alight
Protesters in Lyon, France, burned US and Israeli flags during the third consecutive weekend of France’s cost-of-living protests, with footage showing an individual stomping on the Israeli flag after laying it out on the transparent roof of a tram stop shelter at Jean-Macé. The crowd cheered as an individual set the US flag on fire, and the crowd booed when the Israeli flag was held up before it too was set alight, while people chanted “Israel the murderer.” Clashes between protesters and security personnel erupted in several cities across Germany and France on Saturday, with officers in Lyon using tear gas after objects were thrown at them.
“Some people in the crowd below chanted ‘Israël assassin.’”
The protests in Lyon took place during the third round of France’s cost-of-living protests, and the video moment showed a tram stop roof where the flags were burned. France’s Interior Ministry said over 300,000 joined the protests nationwide, and the demonstrations marked the third consecutive weekend of protests across France.
Arrests, policing, and chants
France’s Interior Ministry warned of potential attempts to exploit Halloween celebrations to provoke unrest and engage in looting, and it reported preliminary figures released at 2 p.m. local time showing 15,000 people participated in 65 protest actions across France. 27 people were detained or arrested in those preliminary figures, and the figures did not include all demonstrations that began later in the afternoon. In Lyon, the march reached Place Jean Macé, and Lyon Mag reported groups of protesters vandalized a tram station, threw objects, and fired fireworks toward police officers, who responded with tear gas.
France’s government estimated that 320,000 people protested nationwide Saturday, and authorities reported more than 560 arrests nationwide by Saturday night. Jean-Luc Mélenchon wrote on X that “Despite closed metro stations, a weeklong campaign of fearmongering by the establishment media and a last-minute change to the meeting point, turnout was just as strong this week,” as he participated in the demonstration in Paris.
Broader Europe, next moves
Across Germany and France, protesters and security personnel clashed in multiple cities on Saturday, with police deploying a water cannon while dispersing protesters in Cologne and barricades set on fire in Hamburg. Demonstrations organized in more than 30 cities in Germany were at the initiative of the movement "Gen Z Takes Responsibility," and protesters demanded increased investment in education and healthcare and measures to ease the cost of living. In Italy, police conducted 60 searches across 23 cities on Saturday targeting suspects accused of inciting violence at demonstrations online, and the operation followed a nationwide strike organized by the USB trade union on Friday.
French authorities deployed 70,000 police officers across the country as the protests on Saturday coincided with Halloween, and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said any misconduct during the protests will result in an “extremely firm response.” PressTV also said student protesters vowed to stage new high school and university blockades on Tuesday and Thursday, extending the demonstrations beyond the weekend.