Masked protesters trampled and set fire to Israeli flags on top of a tram shelter in Lyon on Saturday, as a crowd below cheered, during a mass demonstration over the cost of living in the French city.
Video from Place Jean-Macé shows several people dressed in black climbing onto the shelter's roof, where Israeli flags had been laid out, and stamping on them before setting flags alight. According to i24NEWS, both Israeli and American flags were burned, and participants chanted "Israel, assassin."
The flag burning took place at the end point of a march organized by the Solidaires, CNT and UNEF unions against rising living costs and in defense of public services. It was the third straight Saturday of protests in Lyon. The Rhône prefecture counted 19,000 participants, while organizers claimed 20,000.
Lyon Mag reported that black bloc and pro-Palestinian activists damaged a tram stop at Jean-Macé and threw projectiles and fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas. Firefighters later put out a burning barricade nearby. The prefecture reported six arrests by mid-afternoon, mostly for carrying prohibited equipment, including one person who had materials to make an explosive device.
