How French protests went out of control

PARIS: Smashed windows and ransacked shops. Bloodied teenage protesters. A city hall on fire.Such scenes shocked France as rioting erupted last month during nationwide protests over high living costs and strained public services.Government officials have repeatedly blamed far-left radicals and "opportunistic delinquents," who they say took advantage of mostly peaceful demonstrations to attack symbols of state authority and capitalism across France.Also read | A bitter African feud, a leadership battle and Macron's diplomatic tightrope in CambodiaBut the authorities' heavy-handed response - including thousands of arrests, police beatings and curbs on marches - has added to the volatile mix of grievances fueling an anti-government groundswell that shows no sign of abating before next year's presidential election, Reuters found.Reuters journalists reviewed dozens of videos of the violence, attended the court hearings of 26 people accused of taking part and interviewed over 50 government officials, police officers, attorneys, protesters and witnesses to understand how a movement that began in September with small protests over conditions in state schools spiraled into some of the worst civil unrest in years.Police tactics have faced scrutiny since the start due to the life-changing injuries suffered by some young people, including blown-off hands and lost eyes. United Nations and other human rights experts have also raised concerns about the arrest of nearly 7,000 minors during sometimes-violent school blockades, which they said was disproportionate.Images of riot police baton-charging teenagers fanned support for the students from a diverse array of protesters - including parents, teachers, left-wing politicians and trade unionists - who joined their marches."We have rights," said Emilie Berthier de Grandry, 42, who has attended four demonstrations in Paris with her 15-year-old son, Aaron, dressed in an inflatable shark costume. "We're not going to let ourselves be pushed around."Also read | Judo legend Teddy Riner's presidential bid faces a tough fight in FranceNationwide demonstrations on October 17 also brought a resurgence of so-called yellow-vest protesters, an anti-establishment movement that faced off against President Emmanuel Macron's government in 2018-2019 over high fuel prices.The violent outbursts were so intense that day that police lost control of entire neighborhoods to rioters and looters in France's three largest cities: Paris, Marseille and Lyon. Every week since then, people have taken to the streets across France to voice their anger at police and the government.While the protests after October 17 were calmer, clashes erupted when police sought to disperse demonstrators as marches wound down. Officers repeatedly fired tear gas and charged groups of protesters who pelted them with bottles, paving stones and mortar-style fireworks. On October 24, far-right gangs entered the fray saying they wanted to protect businesses and clashed with protesters in several cities, authorities said.The Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, said internal watchdogs have launched 161 investigations into allegations of officer violence against protesters since September.Responding to Reuters questions, the Interior Ministry said force is used in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.The minister, Laurent Nunez, has expressed regret for injuries caused by explosive weapons used in crowd control, including stun grenades. But he has resisted calls to ban them, saying security forces must be able to defend themselves.Nunez has acknowledged security lapses, telling lawmakers that authorities didn't anticipate the scale of the October 17 violence.He credits a massive security operation - including the deployment of 70,000 police officers and paramilitary gendarmes - for maintaining public order at subsequent protests. But he says security forces still face "a great deal of violence" at demonstrations, including a petrol-bomb attack that injured three gendarmes in Paris on Halloween.The unrest comes at a difficult time for Macron, who won't be standing for election again in April. Strained public finances leave him little room to meet protesters' demands, and his centrist party no longer has the majority needed to pass major legislation.Macron has promised to both "listen to the anger" and "impose respect of the Republican order."The government has sought to appease protesters with proposals to improve education and the decision to bring forward a planned minimum-wage increase. Student leaders and major trade unions say the moves don't go far enough and have vowed to keep up the pressure.AN ORCHESTRA HIT WITH TEAR GASOn October 17, protesters started gathering in Paris' Place de la Republique hours before a march was due to start at 2 p.m.Sousaphone in hand, Mael Roth arrived at about 11 a.m. for a warm-up session with the Orchestre du Nouveau Monde, a 400-piece classical orchestra that planned to…