France Detains 2,000 as Students, Farmers and Yellow Vests Unite Against Cost of Living

France is facing a wave of nationwide protests driven by anger over the rising cost of living, poor working conditions and a school system many say is failing. What began as student demonstrations has grown into a wider movement, with high school students, trade unions, farmers, climate activists and the Yellow Vests (gilets jaunes) joining the streets [265129][265204][264655].

Up to 190,000 people were expected to demonstrate across the country on Saturday [264655]. Student demonstrations merged with the wider movement against rising living costs, deepening a national debate [265129]. The students had already been protesting for more than three weeks, with blockades at several schools and some high schools staying shut [264655][262093]. Unions and student groups said the two protest movements were merging into one [262093].

Police detained dozens of people as the nationwide protests began [264659]. Reports later said more than 2,000 people had been detained following the mass protests [265197]. The CGT, France's largest trade union confederation, renewed its call for negotiations on social demands, and unions began preparing for a nationwide strike on November 5 [265197].

Violence broke out in several French cities as the mass demonstrations spiraled into riots and looting [264989]. Scuffles and fires broke out during the rallies [265112]. In many cities, fires were burning and emergency services could not reach them [265204]. In Paris, violent clashes between police and protesters shook the capital, and a reporter returned to Place de la République to survey the aftermath [265557].

The French government blamed hard-left and ultra-left groups, along with criminals, for the violence and looting, saying these groups instigated the unrest [265546]. Centrist and leftist leaders traded blame after the anti-government protests turned into riots, each side accusing the other of fueling the unrest and deepening the country's political divide [265128].

The unrest comes as the country's fiscal crisis deepens [265112] and ahead of elections to replace President Emmanuel Macron, with the demonstrations seen as a key sign of the country's social mood [264659]. President Macron was set to address the public as the protests unfolded [265197].

The protests have also drawn attention to deep flaws in the French school system. Éric Charbonnier, an analyst at the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), said France has consistently ranked as one of the most unequal countries since the Pisa study began 25 years ago [262459]. Teachers' union representative Sébastien Vieille, speaking from Montbéliard in eastern France, raised the question of whether alliances with bigger protest movements such as the Yellow Vests would strengthen students' demands or make them "less visible" [263369].