French protests over cost of living spread, buildings torched in Lyon, Paris, and Marseille

French protesters stormed and torched buildings across multiple cities on Saturday in demonstrations uniting students, farmers, trade unionists, and climate activists over fuel prices and the cost of living. Tens of thousands participated, with nearly 300 arrests reported as police used tear gas and baton charges. Protesters burned down the Lyons tourism office, torched cars in Paris, and stormed Marseilles city hall, prompting Mayor Benoit Payan to call the situation "out of control" and demand national intervention. Some demonstrators wore yellow vests symbolizing the 2018 gilets jaunes movement, while authorities blamed hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon's supporters for the disorder. President Emmanuel Macron appealed for "calm" and condemned "extreme violence," saying vandalism was unacceptable. The protests followed a week of university shutdowns and high school student demonstrations, with viral social media calls reviving the yellow vest movement ahead of the October 17th demonstrations.