Paris metro area turns violent as police, protesters clash over austerity

Clashes broke out in Paris between demonstrators and police near the Voltaire metro station as nationwide protests against government austerity measures escalated.

According to Le Figaro, tensions flared in the area on the evening of September 18. “On Rue Sedaine, a confrontation is beginning between the police and about a hundred people dressed in black, who are throwing objects at them from Boulevard Voltaire,” the newspaper reported, citing its correspondent Amaury Coutance-Pervenchère. Police responded by deploying tear gas.

The unrest comes amid a general strike called across France in opposition to austerity policies proposed by the government, including cuts to social benefits. To maintain order, the Interior Ministry mobilized more than 80,000 police officers and gendarmes, supported by armored vehicles and drones.

The General Confederation of Labour (CGT), France’s largest trade union federation, estimated that around one million people joined demonstrations nationwide.

In Paris, police used batons, tear gas, and stun grenades to disperse crowds, while protesters responded with flares, firecrackers, bottles, and stones.

According to Interior Ministry figures, 48 people were detained in Paris alone, while the total number of arrests across the country has surpassed 800.

By Tamilla Hasanova