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Frankreich: Proteste gegen hohe Lebenshaltungskosten enden in Krawallen

France: protests against the high cost of living end in riots

Frankreich: Proteste gegen hohe Lebenshaltungskosten enden in Krawallen

Based on reporting by tagesschau (ARD). Independently rewritten from the facts into graded German by Mitlesen — not a translation of the original article.

On Saturday, there were big protests all over France. About 550,000 people were out on the streets. That is a lot of people. People say that life in France is too expensive. After that, there were riots in many cities. That means there was a lot of violence on the streets. Emmanuel Macron is the president of France. He thinks the violence is very bad. He says clearly that violence is not acceptable.

Frankreich: Proteste gegen hohe Lebenshaltungskosten enden in Krawallen in English

Am Samstag protestierten in ganz Frankreich etwa 550.000 Menschen gegen hohe Lebenshaltungskosten. Die Organisatoren sprechen sogar von 800.000. Es ging um teures Benzin, niedrige Löhne und Probleme in der Landwirtschaft und bei der Feuerwehr.

On Saturday, about 550,000 people across France protested against the high cost of living. The organisers even put the figure at 800,000. The protests were about expensive petrol, low wages and problems in farming and the fire service.

Schüler und Studierende demonstrieren schon seit Wochen für kleinere Klassen, mehr Lehrkräfte und besseres Material. Die Regierung will nämlich sparen, auch bei der Bildung.

For weeks, school and university students have been demonstrating for smaller classes, more teachers and better teaching materials. This is because the government wants to save money, including on education.

Bei den Protesten kam es in vielen Städten zu schweren Krawallen. Geschäfte wurden geplündert, Fahrzeuge brannten, und in Limoges brannte ein Teil des historischen Rathauses ab. Am Wochenende nahm die Polizei mehr als 2.300 Menschen fest. Fast 1.000 Polizisten und andere Sicherheitskräfte wurden verletzt; in Paris starb ein Demonstrant nach einem Herzstillstand. Die Regierung macht vor allem linksextreme Gruppen dafür verantwortlich.

During the protests, serious riots broke out in many cities. Shops were looted, vehicles burned, and in Limoges part of the historic town hall burned down. Over the weekend, the police arrested more than 2,300 people. Almost 1,000 police officers and other security personnel were injured; in Paris, a protester died after a cardiac arrest. The government mainly blames far-left groups for the riots.

Präsident Emmanuel Macron hat die Gewalt scharf verurteilt und will die Täter bestrafen lassen. Wenn nötig, können neue Demonstrationen verboten werden. In Marseille gilt am Montag schon ein Versammlungsverbot. Premierminister Sébastien Lecornu hat begrenzte Ausgangssperren in einzelnen Städten angeordnet.

President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned the violence and wants those responsible to be punished. If necessary, new demonstrations can be banned. In Marseille, a ban on gatherings is already in place for Monday. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has ordered limited curfews in some cities.

Innenminister Laurent Nuñez gab Fehler zu. Man hatte nur mit 200.000 Teilnehmenden gerechnet, und in manchen Städten verlor die Polizei die Kontrolle. Er bot Macron seinen Rücktritt an, aber Macron lehnte ab. Noch in dieser Woche sollen Studierende, Lehrkräfte, Gewerkschaften, Parlament und Wirtschaft gemeinsam Lösungen suchen.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted mistakes. Only 200,000 participants had been expected, and in some cities the police lost control. He offered Macron his resignation, but Macron refused it. This week, students, teachers, trade unions, parliament and business are to look for solutions together.

Das Auswärtige Amt rät Reisenden, in Frankreich vorsichtig zu sein und Demonstrationen zu meiden. Die Gelbwesten-Bewegung hat für den nächsten Samstag bereits neue Proteste angekündigt.

The German Foreign Office advises travellers to be careful in France and to avoid demonstrations. The yellow vest movement has already announced new protests for next Saturday.

Source: tagesschau (ARD) — all-rights-reserved. Facts adapted into graded German by Mitlesen.

Cover image: "Manifestation du 17 octobre 2026 à Paris 22" by FreCha — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons) — source.

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