Paris resident calls France protests the worst she has seen

An Icelandic woman living in Paris says the protests and riots in France in recent days are among the worst and most violent residents have experienced. Kristín Þorsteinsdóttir told Morgunblaðið that peaceful demonstrations were quickly taken over by rioters.

Nearly 2,400 people were arrested during unrest following Saturday’s demonstrations, and almost 1,000 police officers and gendarmes were injured, seven of them seriously. Buildings were set on fire and many shops were broken into, according to the report.

Þorsteinsdóttir, who works as a middle manager at an international company and has been connected to French society for 20 years, said the protest wave began about six weeks ago. Students at a secondary school outside Paris demonstrated over poor conditions in the public school system, and students at other schools later held rallies in support.

She said the students received encouragement from the far-left, with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the LFI party, among the most prominent supporters. Þorsteinsdóttir said he had encouraged the students and said violence could be justified to achieve their goals.

Saturday’s demonstrations were organised in support of the students, with trade unions also involved. Nearly one million people attended rallies across France, she said, and the demonstrations were peaceful at first. Anarchists and other rioters later joined in, breaking windows and looting shops.

France has a strong tradition of protest, but Þorsteinsdóttir said these events were unlike anything people had experienced before. She said the unrest was mostly confined to certain neighbourhoods and that she had not seen any trouble during a walk near her home.