Protesters Surge Toward Élysée Palace as Paris Unrest Erupts

Paris, France – Hundreds of protesters pushed into a luxury shopping street just steps from the Élysée Palace before a loud bang sent the crowd running, as a nationwide day of action against the high cost of living turned violent across the French capital on October 17.

Francisco Guerrier filmed the scene from an elevated position above the street, where a dense crowd advanced past boutique fronts and temporary metal fencing. "The Élysée is right there," a man can be heard saying in French moments before a loud bang and a thick cloud of white smoke burst at the front of the crowd. People turned and fled toward the camera as a woman shouted, "War is war," and glass shattered on the pavement. Guerrier told Native Team Agency that witnesses said the protesters were within a few meters of the Élysée, and that for security reasons Macron's whereabouts at the time were not known and were being kept confidential, according to French television.