Besançon protest turns violent, with 9,500 marching and clashes with police

A protest in Besançon on Saturday, October 17, drew up to 9,500 people and degenerated into unprecedented urban violence, according to the Doubs prefecture. The unrest included clashes with police, property damage, and looting of shops. The demonstration began peacefully but turned violent in mid-afternoon as participants committed the first acts of vandalism. Throughout the day, rioters and security forces clashed, with construction barriers placed in streets, trash fires set, and tear gas deployed. The event was part of a nationwide movement on October 17, which also ended in violence elsewhere in France. The protest in Besançon was not declared to authorities in advance.