A Spanish public television correspondent was forced to cut short a live report from the French capital Saturday night after several Arab and Black men approached her and made threatening gestures, including one simulating a throat-slitting motion, as nationwide protests turned violent, stores were looted, and historic buildings burned to the ground.
The female TVE journalist, wearing a protective helmet and holding a microphone bearing the network’s logo, was reporting from a Paris street on official figures when the Arab and Black men appeared behind her in video of the broadcast.
During the broadcast, she stated: “According to figures just released by the Minister of the Interior, some 550,000 people have taken to the streets across France and around 400 people have been arrested.”
JUST IN: This is the true face of the French protests.
A Spanish TVE journalist was reporting live from Paris when a group of Arab and Black males jumped behind her and made throat-slitting gestures.
She was forced to cut off the broadcast.
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— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) October 17, 2026Then, the youths crowded the screen with one Black male raising his arms and drawing a finger across his throat towards the camera. He also gave the middle finger and made shooting motions.
The correspondent continued briefly, noting fires nearby, firefighters responding and the difficulty of maintaining the connection amid the disorder, before the live feed was interrupted.
The episode occurred during a day of demonstrations that began weeks earlier as student protests devolved into mass rioting with thousands of arrests, numerous schools set on fire in arson attacks, and even over 60 teachers and school staff suffering injuries.
🇫🇷🔴 JUST IN: The entire roof of the Limoges City Hall has collapsed after an arson attack during ongoing riots in France.
Due to the catastrophic damage, this beautiful piece of European architecture is unlikely ever to be restored.
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— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) October 17, 2026Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez put the nationwide turnout at about 550,000, including 110,000 in Paris. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said more than 1,200 people were detained and condemned the “unacceptable levels of violence.” Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire later said entire streets had been devastated.
Violence included clashes with riot police using tear gas and water cannons, looting, and arson. The city hall in Limoges was set ablaze, with its roof collapsing in video footage; similar attacks or defacement targeted buildings in Marseille and Lyon. Authorities reported dozens of injured officers.
🇫🇷⚡️- "Wallah, f**k the police!"
A Black male rioter shouts as he throws a massive piece of concrete from a rooftop in Paris down on police officers and their vehicles.
The projectile missed but a strike from that height would likely be deadly.
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— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) October 17, 2026TVE had not issued a detailed public statement on the specific interruption in available reports as of early Sunday. The network’s correspondent was among those working amid the disorder that continued into the night.
