Euronews’ crew was assaulted by looters and rioters in Paris near the Place de la Republique on Saturday as they were covering the ongoing joint major protests organised by the so-called ‘Yellow Vests’ and student-led groups.
The crew was headed to another location from Place de la Republique – where the protests were being staged.
Shortly into their journey, they were confronted by masked looters robbing the nearby Intermarché Express supermarket on 14 Place Jacques Bonsergent, which diverges from Place de la Republique, and filmed it.
“We were standing on Boulevard de Magenta, not far from a supermarket that was being looted by young people, young adults, teenagers. When they saw we were filming, they started hitting my cameraman and attempted to take his microphone and they encircled us,” said Estelle Nilsson-Julien, Euronews’ correspondent in Paris.
“They then pushed him against the wall and started hitting and punching him. They also hit me. They punched him in the face, but because he was wearing a gas mask, protective eyewear and a helmet, he was not seriously harmed.”
“He managed to get away with just some bruises on his face,” she added.
Our correspondent also noted that the looters stole their camera during the scuffles, which was eventually brought back by a group of youngsters who saw what was happening. The returned camera however did not have the SD card, and all footage recorded was lost.
Nilsson-Julien reported seeing things on fire in the area in the immediate vicinity of the supermarket, and loud police sirens.
“It is to be honest anarchy in the streets. There are many young people who seem like they are ready for a fight and looting going on. So, the calm protests of earlier today, at least in this area, are completely over,” she said.
Another Euronews correspondent, Valerie Gauriat, covering the protests at the Place de la Republique also reported a violent incident with a masked individual earlier while conducting an interview with a protester.
She noted that a protester slapped the back of her head and mumbled profane words as they walked past, denouncing media presence at the demonstrations.
The incidents come after certain groups on social media called on protesters to target media outlets and personnel, to prevent “the spread of misinformation” about the protests and reported violence.