More “protests” that look like riots broke out today in several regions throughout Europe as the socialists and communists take advantage of the street antagonisms and looting opportunists.

Areas throughout France, Albania, Spain and Italy are seeing some of the most consequential street battles with police and rioters. CBS reported a few hours ago that more than 1,000 people have been arrested in France so far today.

FRANCE – Nearly 1,000 people were arrested in nationwide protests in France, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Saturday, after demonstrations over the high cost of living and the country’s education system earlier in the day remained largely peaceful. 

Nuñez said the number of arrests is expected to rise significantly. He said marches “passed off well” in cities, but police officers found themselves confronted with “an extremely elevated level of violence” from “ultra-left” groups later in the day. Nuñez said some shops and businesses had been looted, but “the scale was far smaller” than a week earlier, when some 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted.

He said police acted more rapidly and conducted more pre-demonstration checks. Businesses and shopping centers had also been better protected. Earlier Saturday, the interior minister said police had confiscated weapons including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft weapons, he said. 

The French Interior Ministry said about 410,000 people participated in about 298 protests around the country. Union organizers from the General Confederation of Labor put the number at around 800,000.  An explanation for the discrepancy was not immediately available. (read more)

 

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