Petrol bomb thrown at French riot police
The gist
French prosecutors opened an attempted murder probe after a petrol bomb set a gendarme on fire in Paris.
The officer's second-degree burns sharpen scrutiny of how France polices youth-led cost-of-living protests.
How it unfolded
- Sep 30, 2026Protests began in Paris the previous week, where teenagers had been blockading schools for several days; this week demonstrations and blockades spread around the country.
- Oct 2, 2026Hundreds of French schools remained closed as student protests turned violent; Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police had arrested 1,747 on Friday.
- Oct 31, 2026Clashes erupted in Paris and other cities as hundreds of thousands staged a third weekend of protests against soaring living costs; the Paris police prefecture said several hundred rioters attacked security forces with projectiles, including a Molotov cocktail.