Melenchon accuses Paris police of inciting violence

Leader of the left-wing La France Insoumise party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, claimed on Saturday that Parisian prefect Georges-Francois Leclerc and the police are the ones inciting the violence on the streets by throwing gas and banning the protesters from the Place de la Republique.

"The confrontation seems to be the goal of this 'maintaining order' strategy. Pathetic," Melenchon wrote on X, adding that "everywhere there are no police, it's calm and good spirits!" Earlier, French media reported that a tourist office in Lyon was set ablaze by protesters.