France burns for a second day as Macron weighs emergency rule and curfew

Clashes flared again in Paris for a second straight day amid reports that President Emmanuel Macron is weighing a state of emergency and a curfew, as Palestinian flags appeared at the protests and looting continued in several cities.

France’s streets did not calm down on the second day of protests over the cost of living. Thousands of protesters returned to squares in Paris on Sunday and clashes with police resumed, while the French daily L’Opinion reported two options on the table for President Emmanuel Macron and his government: a state of emergency and a curfew.

No official decision has been made. Macron called his ministers to a 5:30 p.m. meeting and was expected to address the French at 8 p.m. On Saturday, he had stressed that there was “no room for violence.”

Palestinian flags on the streets of Paris

As on the first day, Palestinian flags stood out at the Paris marches, with some protesters carrying them alongside slogans against high prices.

Cat and mouse in the capital

Police used tear gas to disperse protesters who regrouped in the afternoon.

An attempt to set up a barricade at Place de la République was broken up by force.

Some protesters answered security forces with fireworks.

Bikes lined up on sidewalks were also set on fire.

The burning bikes were then gathered with containers into a wall of fire across the street.

Jewelers and luxury brands targeted

Security camera recordings show a jewelry store being broken into and its contents looted.

In Marseille, the looting reached a store of French luxury house Hermès.

In one striking scene, a man used a vacuum cleaner stolen from a shop to clean the street.

Lyon’s mayor meets anger

In Lyon, boos rang out during Mayor Grégory Doucet’s public statement on the protests.

A man defending his shop told Doucet: “Look at the disgrace you’ve caused. Are you proud? You should be ashamed and resign.”

Trump: France ‘shattered’

Across the Atlantic, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote: “France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country. Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!” His deputy, JD Vance, linked the events to what he called the “import of the Third World” into France, while reports point to the cost of living, education and public services as the causes of the protests.

A heavy toll

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said more than 1,800 people had been arrested and over 500 police, gendarmes and firefighters injured, according to provisional figures. Paris recorded 855 detentions, about 1,500 shops were damaged, and Limoges’ historic 1873 town hall burned.

A masked protester amid tear gas in Paris on Oct. 17

A demonstrator died of cardiorespiratory arrest and a 17-year-old in Saint-Étienne lost a hand. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu postponed a crisis meeting to Monday, while Greens leader Marine Tondelier called for the interior minister to resign.

France burns for a second day as Macron weighs emergency rule and curfew