Gen Z protests in France against the rising cost of living in the country have turned violent, with demonstrators reportedly setting fire to a historic town hall and damaging buildings across the country.
The 143-year-old landmark was left badly damaged after the fire. More than 550,000 people reportedly took to the streets, including a large number of school and university students, workers and trade union members.
Although student groups have described their movement as peaceful, some demonstrations have turned violent. Shops have been looted, and several historic buildings have been damaged.
Damage was reported in several French cities, including Grenoble, Avignon, Pau, Montpellier and Valence. In Paris, clothing and food shops were raided, while an Apple store in Lille was reportedly broken into and emptied.
Why are people protesting?
The protests began in September 2026, when high school students in working-class areas walked out of classes over poor school conditions.
Their complaints included teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, broken furniture, poor heating and badly maintained school buildings.
The movement later expanded as workers and trade unions joined the protests over rising living costs, higher fuel prices, stagnant wages and declining household purchasing power.
Left-wing political groups and activists associated with the Yellow Vest movement have also joined the demonstrations. The Yellow Vest movement is a grassroots, populist protest movement in France that originated in 2018.
How has the government responded?
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the destruction and warned that those responsible for attacking public buildings and businesses will face prosecution.
“We will all stand united against the sowers of chaos, who seek only to bring down our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so”, he said in a post on X.
Aucune place pour la violence dans notre République. Ceux qui ont cassé, attaqué les préfectures comme les commerces, pillé jusqu’à nos mairies, seront poursuivis et punis. Aux forces de l’ordre, garantes du droit à manifester, je dis le soutien de la Nation. Nous ferons tous bloc face aux semeurs de chaos, qui ne cherchent qu’à abattre nos institutions et empêchent ceux qui expriment pacifiquement leurs revendications de le faire.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 17, 2026