French Police Use Tear Gas and Water Cannons as Cost-of-Living Protests Turn Violent

Protests against the rising cost of living in France turned violent on Saturday, with police deploying tear gas and water cannons in Paris and other cities. Authorities have made 272 arrests nationwide, and rioters set a car on fire in the capital. In Paris, a vehicle was burned at Place de la République, while in Lyon, rioters set the tourism office ablaze. Demonstrators also broke into city halls in Lille and Marseille, where vandals damaged property and threw a bust of national symbol Marianne to the ground. Police used tear gas in Bordeaux and Lyon as well. The protests follow weeks of student demonstrations and include the yellow vests movement, which emerged in 2018 over fuel prices. Authorities had anticipated unrest, banning demonstrations near the Champs-Élysées and expecting up to 40,000 protesters in Paris. Similar protests also occurred in Belgium.