Follow-Up: France's Interior Minister Puts Provisional Protest-Day Turnout at 550,000 Nationwide, With About 400 Detained and 60 Officers Injured
As France's nationwide day of protest on Saturday, October 17, moved into the evening, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez released provisional figures: about 550,000 people took part in 110 marches across France, including about 110,000 in Paris; about 400 people were detained, the vast majority of them adults; and 60 members of the security forces were injured, two of whom were taken to hospital unconscious. Organizers put nationwide turnout at more than 800,000; the two figures stand side by side.
Nuñez said no state of emergency would be declared, that the police deployment 'was not undersized,' and praised the security forces' responsiveness. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu wrote on X that blaming police chiefs for the violence was a 'dangerous and cynical inversion of responsibility,' reiterating that orders were clear: prevent destruction, protect people and property, arrest perpetrators and bring them to justice. President Emmanuel Macron said on X that those responsible for destruction, attacks and looting against government buildings, businesses and city halls 'will be pursued and punished,' and that the nation stands with its forces.
Serious incidents during the day included a break-in and a fire set inside Limoges city hall, with firefighters responding; a protester in Saint-Étienne whose hand was torn off, with an investigation under way; and earlier attacks on municipal buildings in Lille and Marseille. GSM reported earlier in the day that Paris detentions had risen to 191 and that organizers claimed more than 800,000 turnout nationwide; the evening figures are the Interior Ministry's provisional count, and GSM will follow any revisions. (GSM, from the French Interior Ministry's evening statements and French media live coverage)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：法国利摩日市政厅外观（资料照片）——该市政厅在10月17日抗议中被人闯入并纵火。图片来源：Alacoolwiki，CC BY-SA 4.0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: Limoges city hall (file photo) — the building was broken into and set on fire during the Oct. 17 protests. Source: Alacoolwiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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