Riot Police Clear Clermont-Ferrand Square With Stun Grenades

Clermont-Ferrand, France – Lines of riot police advanced across Place de Jaude in Clermont-Ferrand on Saturday afternoon, October 24, as clashes broke out with protesters who had defied a ban on gathering in the city centre.

Nathan, who runs the X account C’est Carré, filmed the scene. His footage shows officers in helmets and shields moving in formation across the square while smoke rises behind them. Onlookers, some masked, scatter between the hedges, and a man with a film camera tracks the police line.

“The clashes are starting violently with stun grenades, gas and rubber bullets being used,” he wrote, adding that police were being pelted with anything protesters could find.

The prefect had banned demonstrations in the city centre for the day, the second Saturday of nationwide protests against the rising cost of living. Around 2,000 people took part. Officers fired tear gas through much of the day, and protesters briefly took the square before stun grenades drove them back.

Four people were hurt, including a riot police officer and a protester who was seriously injured in the hand. Seven people were detained, two of them minors, prosecutors said.