Violent riots hit France for third weekend as 70,000 people gather in Paris, throw Molotov cocktails at police

Violent riots broke out across France on Saturday as demonstrators clashed with police and hurled Molotov cocktails at officers. Rioters were also seen breaking into homes and setting fire to US and Israeli flags.

Tens of thousands of people gathered near Porte de Bagnolet in Paris before marching toward Porte de Charenton, where they encountered police deploying crowd-control measures including tear gas and water cannons. Rioters threw objects at officers, with several reportedly injured in the violence.

Matthieu Valet, a French member of the European Parliament, documented the clashes in videos shared on X.

“In broad daylight, in Paris, rabid black bloc lunatics want to fight with police officers—that’s the far left for you,” Valet wrote. “These images, I can’t stand to see them anymore—how long are we going to put up with this?”

In Marseille, demonstrators reportedly broke into homes and apartment buildings while setting surveillance cameras on fire. In Lyon, masked demonstrators dressed in all black were seen stomping on American and Israeli flags before setting them ablaze. A crowd watching chanted “Israel assassins.”

In Bordeaux, a piñata depicting French President Emmanuel Macron was reportedly displayed amid a gathering of roughly 11,000 people.

France continues to grapple with riots for the third straight weekend. What the media initially claimed to be student-led protests calling for education reform has descended into country-wide chaos, with riots clashing with police in various cities for unclear reasons. Reports have also indicated that left-wing communist groups have become involved in the demonstrations.

“The images of a police officer engulfed in flames after being targeted by incendiary devices are unbearable. The perpetrators of this attack must be found and sentenced with the utmost severity,” wrote right-wing leader Marine Le Pen. “Tonight, we are thinking of all the security and rescue forces that will be mobilized late into the night to protect our fellow citizens from the hordes of the far left.”