Heading to France? Amid recent unrest, here’s what to know
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Police officers in riot gear stand guard during civil unrest, the day after a national day of demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Paris on Oct 18.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Ceylan Yeğinsu and Tariro Mzezewa
Anti-government demonstrations across France escalated into widespread violence last weekend, as thousands of protesters clashed with police, set municipal buildings and cars on fire, and ransacked storefronts. More protests are planned this weekend and over the next two weeks.
The unrest, which began in September as largely peaceful, student-led protests over the quality of the public education system, spiralled into the country’s worst rioting in decades, with more than 2,000 arrests and nearly 1,000 police officers injured, according to the French Interior Ministry. To reassert control, authorities issued curfews and protest bans in parts of several cities on Oct 19, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Lille.