▲ A vehicle burns during a protest in Paris on October 31.
France, which has been responding strongly to violent protests, is investigating the throwing of a firebomb toward security officers during a protest in Paris on October 31 local time as an attempted murder case.
According to AFP, the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office announced on November 1 local time that explosive devices were thrown toward 15 police officers and gendarmes, prompting an investigation into attempted murder against persons holding public authority.
Paris police estimated that hundreds of people threw objects, including Molotov cocktails, at police officers and military police serving as security forces during yesterday's protest.
Yesterday, media footage showed a shocking scene in eastern Paris where an improvised device exploded at the feet of a gendarme, instantly setting his lower body on fire.
Prosecutors explained that the extent of the gendarme's injuries is still being evaluated.
They added that the injuries from this protest also include second-degree burns.
In an anonymous interview with local broadcaster RTL, the gendarme stated that numerous objects such as glass bottles, stones, glass shards, and firebombs rained down on his unit, recalling the pain at the time by saying, "I felt the flammable substance spreading across my skin and felt my entire body engulfed in heat."
Yesterday, marking the third consecutive weekend of large-scale protests by students, labor unions, and civic groups in France, 320,000 people took to the streets.
This is a decrease compared to the 550,000 people on October 17, the first weekend of protests, and 410,000 on October 24 of the same month.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez criticized that while the protests proceeded generally well, unprecedented violence occurred toward the end.
The French Ministry of the Interior announced that 779 people were arrested during these protests.
Injured security personnel, including police officers, were tallied at 159.
The number of arrests today has significantly decreased compared to 1,314 on October 24 and 2,628 on October 17.
The number of stores damaged by vandalism and looting also decreased.
According to the Paris Chamber of Commerce, around 20 stores suffered damage.
Marine Le Pen, a leading presidential hopeful from the far-right National Rally, urged on X for severe punishment of those responsible for the firebomb attack.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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