Masked rioters hijacked a tourist sightseeing train in Grenoble and crashed it near a group of riot police during the violent protests that swept France over the weekend. Footage shows the culprits, dressed in black, leaping from the carriages before the train comes to a halt.
Chaos in Grenoble and Across France
The incident occurred on Saturday (October 17) in Grenoble, a city in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The protests, which erupted over students' teaching conditions and the cost of living, saw rioters bring carnage to the streets of numerous cities over the weekend.
Groups of masked protesters targeted public buildings, including city halls and local government offices. Around Paris' Place de la République on Sunday morning, dislodged cobblestones, shattered storefronts and broken glass marked the aftermath. Looting and damage were reported around the square and in other tourist and shopping areas in the city centre.
Protest Numbers and Casualties
Authorities said about 550,000 people took part in protests across France, while organizers counted about 800,000. One person died of a heart attack, Paris police said in a statement, without providing further details. French media reported a protester suffered a medical emergency in the street during the march.
Thirteen police and gendarmerie officers and two firefighters were injured, the statement added. Police said huge groups of more than 1,000 demonstrators formed unauthorized marches across central Paris on Saturday.
Government Response and Damage
The police stated: "By late afternoon, a new phase began with the arrival of large numbers of people whose sole aim was to steal and loot, taking advantage of the unrest." Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez attributed some of the violence to "radical far-left groups" and said others later joined to loot.
"Peaceful demonstrations have every place in our Republic. Arson, looting and attacks do not," Lecornu said in a message posted on X. The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon, the country's three largest cities, requested a meeting with the PM in the coming days "given the extent of the damage and the seriousness of the situation."
Incidents in Marseille, Lyon and Limoges
In Marseille, some protesters briefly forced their way into the lobby of City Hall and a police station was damaged. In Lyon, a fire broke out inside a tourist office. In the central town of Limoges, the City Hall was set on fire, gutting the 19th-century building. Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate told LCI television that the blaze, which was under control Sunday, was deliberate.
