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Marianne in a yellow vest, Palestinian flags: France’s protests in symbols
Protesters in Paris dressed the statue of Marianne in a yellow vest, while Palestinian flags flew in marches across France. In Lyon, a protester waved a Palestinian flag outside a torched tourist office.
Ally Daily Editorial DeskUpdated:
France’s Saturday of protest produced some striking images. In Paris, demonstrators dressed the bronze statue of Marianne, the symbol of the Republic, at Place de la République in a yellow vest, the emblem of the movement. Across the country, Palestinian flags flew in the marches alongside the vests.
Unions said about 800,000 people joined the protests against the cost of living and school conditions, while the Interior Ministry counted 550,000, including some 110,000 in Paris. High school and university students marched together with Yellow Vests, climate activists and trade unionists.
Lyon: a flag before the flames
In Lyon, the tourist office on Place Bellecour was looted and then set ablaze, and the Rhône prefecture said groups had obstructed firefighters. Media reports said some protesters at the scene wore yellow vests while others carried Palestinian flags. A widely circulated photo shows a hooded protester holding up a Palestinian flag as a building burns behind him.
In another image, a masked demonstrator who scaled an equestrian statue waves a Palestinian flag over the crowd.
Paris: clashes at Place de la République
Place de la République, the starting point of the Paris march, saw clashes in which a vehicle and a newspaper kiosk were burned. Protesters climbed the Monument to the Republic, and black tears were painted on the face of one of the statues at its base.
One protester in a Deadpool costume, reportedly wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, danced in front of a police line, drawing the attention of the crowd and photographers.
The Chanel store on rue des Francs-Bourgeois in Paris was looted. In Marseille, marchers chanted, “It’s the revolution, we’re taking the Bastille,” while Mayor Benoît Payan said rioters were discrediting the students’ demands.
Why the Palestinian flag?
Palestinian flags have appeared outside schools since student blockades began on Sept. 21 at a high school in Créteil, near Paris. In an op-ed in L’Express, writer Omar Youssef Souleimane noted that the Palestinian cause is absent from the official demands of high school groups but has become one of the most powerful mobilizing causes among young people since Oct. 7, 2023. He said lawmakers from La France Insoumise, including Rima Hassan, Mathilde Panot and Louis Boyard, have supported the blockades and put Palestine at the heart of their messaging, which he described as political appropriation ahead of the 2027 presidential race.
Some accounts also tied the student protests to a video that circulated online on Oct. 10 showing a large crowd waving Palestinian flags at Place de la République. When and at which rally it was recorded could not be independently verified.
Government vows punishment
President Emmanuel Macron said those who attacked prefectures, businesses and town halls would be prosecuted and punished. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez denounced “scenes of looting” in many cities and said about 400 people had been detained.
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