Protesters in France set a police officer on fire (video)
In Paris, one of the gendarmes caught fire as a result of a "Molotov cocktail" thrown by protesters. The Minister of the Interior described the incident as an attempted murder.
**Protesters in France set police officer on fire (video)**
In Paris, protesters threw a "Molotov cocktail" containing flammable liquid at law enforcement officers. As a result, the clothes of one of the gendarmerie officers caught fire. The French publication La Dépêche reported this.
The incident occurred on the evening of October 31 near the Porte de Charenton square in Paris. Protesters threw stones, pyrotechnics, and containers filled with flammable liquid at the police.
In the video distributed by the media, one of the police officers can be seen engulfed in flames. It is presumed that his special protective gear saved him from serious injuries. His colleagues also helped extinguish the fire.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that the gendarme suffered minor burns and continued his service. Calling the incident an "attempted murder," the minister stated that all measures would be taken to identify and apprehend those involved in the attack.
On October 31, demonstrations across France began peacefully, but by evening, clashes broke out between protesters and police in several cities. In Paris and Lyon, law enforcement used tear gas against protesters.
According to the French Ministry of the Interior, 320,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country, including 70,000 in Paris alone.
Arson cases were also recorded in Marseille, where firefighters were brought in to extinguish the fires. Clashes with police occurred in Rennes and Toulouse. In Rennes, some protesters threw various objects at law enforcement officers.
Protests in France have been ongoing since September. Initially, high school students expressed dissatisfaction with the educational process, suspended classes, and set fire to certain areas. Hundreds of lyceums across the country were closed due to the unrest.
Later, the protests expanded into demonstrations against inflation, rising fuel prices, and the decline in the purchasing power of the population.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that unrest in the country could persist for a long time ahead of the 2027 presidential election.