00:00The French city of Lyon woke up on Sunday to devastated streets, smashed storefronts and
00:07burnt buildings. The aftermath of violent demonstrations against the rising cost of
00:13living that swept France. More than half a million people joined Saturday's nationwide protests.
00:21Cities including Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, Limoge and Nice saw clashes between protesters
00:27and police, mass looting and fires. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned what he called
00:36the extreme intensity of the violence. He said 1,200 people had been arrested and 150 police officers
00:44hurt. The widespread unrest follows weeks of student protests and comes just six months ahead of
00:52presidential elections. Without evidence, US Vice President J.D. Vance blamed immigration and what
01:00he called problems of assimilation for the unrest. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen claimed that
01:08the party of her far-left rival for the presidency, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, had legitimized the violence.
01:16Mélenchon, who had supported the demonstrations, urged people to stay away from any looting,
01:21describing it as contrary to our methods.
