550,000 Protesters Flood French Streets as Anger at Macron Erupts Into Violence

Chaos exploded across France on Saturday as 550,000 protesters flooded the streets, torched cars and buildings, looted luxury stores including Louis Vuitton and Hermès, and threatened to storm the Élysée Palace — prompting a defiant President Emmanuel Macron to rage: "Let them come and get me!"

In Paris alone, an estimated 110,000 demonstrators took to the streets, with masked protestors backed by the country's far-left opposition leader smashing storefronts, targeting luxury businesses and confronting riot police armed with tear gas and water cannons, according to the New York Post's Jeanne Erickson, who was on the ground. Outside the capital, French police said 140 protests were happening simultaneously.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said approximately 400 people were arrested nationwide, including 110 in Paris, during a press briefing reported by the BBC. Nuñez said there was a "clear desire" to target public buildings across many cities, and blamed the destruction on militants "associated with the hard and extreme left," accusing them of deliberately targeting public institutions.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu echoed that statement and accused far-left organizations of orchestrating violence while opportunist groups exploited the student unrest to loot and destroy property. "Peaceful protests have their full place in our Republic," Lecornu declared. "Looting and attacks have none."

In Lyon, the city's tourism center was set ablaze. In Marseille and Lille, demonstrators reportedly broke into city halls. Inside Marseille's municipal headquarters, vandals toppled a bust of Marianne, France's national symbol, smashed televisions and spray-painted anarchist emblems on walls, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. Cars were torched, government buildings attacked and shops looted in cities including Paris, Rouen, Nantes, Toulouse and Marseille.

The protests were driven by rising costs of living, higher education funding, teacher salaries, pension protections and public service budget cuts. The goal of the protesters is to push the government to make major spending concessions, according to reporting from the scene.

In Bordeaux, looters smashed the storefronts of high-end shops including Apple, Louis Vuitton and Hermès. Interior Minister Nuñez said the vast majority of demonstrations were lawful, but violent groups operating on their fringes had transformed peaceful protests into widespread destruction.

Reporting by New York Post and BBC. Read the original reports: Violent rioters flood the streets of France, burning buildings and looting luxury goods stores and France protests: 550,000 take to streets.