A photo of a hooded protester raising a Palestinian flag in front of a building engulfed in flames became one of the most widely circulated images of Saturday’s protests in France. On a major day of action against the cost of living and school conditions, Palestinian flags flew in the marches alongside yellow vests.
In Lyon, the tourist office on Place Bellecour was looted and set on fire, and the Rhône prefecture said some groups had obstructed firefighters. According to press reports, some protesters at the scene wore yellow vests while others carried Palestinian flags. Another photo shows a masked protester waving a Palestinian flag from atop an equestrian statue.
About 800,000 people took part according to unions and 550,000 according to the Interior Ministry, including about 110,000 in Paris. High school and university students, Yellow Vests and trade unionists marched together.
Palestine, a cause for the young
Palestinian flags have been seen outside French schools since blockades of school entrances began on Sept. 21 at a high school in Créteil. Writer and journalist Omar Youssef Souleimane wrote in an L’Express op-ed that the Palestinian cause, though absent from student organizations’ official demands, has become one of the strongest causes motivating young people since Oct. 7, 2023. He noted that La France Insoumise lawmakers such as Rima Hassan, Mathilde Panot and Louis Boyard had supported the school blockades and placed Palestine at the center of their messaging, which he sees as political use ahead of the 2027 election.
Paris: a yellow vest for Marianne
In Paris, protesters dressed the statue of Marianne at Place de la République in a yellow vest, the movement’s symbol.
Clashes broke out in the square where the march began; a vehicle and a newspaper kiosk were set on fire, and protesters climbed the Monument to the Republic.
A protester in a Deadpool costume, reportedly wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, danced in front of a police cordon, drawing the crowd and photographers.
Some accounts also linked the protests to a video that spread on social networks on Oct. 10 showing a large crowd with Palestinian flags at Place de la République. When and at which event the video was filmed could not be independently verified.
At Place de la République in Paris, new footage released on Sunday morning shows protesters standing on the base of the monument and holding the Palestinian flag high as smoke filled the sky behind the statue of Marianne.
Looting and vows of punishment
The Chanel store on rue des Francs-Bourgeois in Paris was looted. In Marseille, protesters chanted “It’s the revolution, we’re taking the Bastille,” and Mayor Benoît Payan said those involved in the riots were discrediting the high school students’ demands.
President Emmanuel Macron said those who attacked prefectures, businesses and town halls would be prosecuted and punished. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said there had been “scenes of looting” in many cities and that about 400 people had been detained.
