Police deploy TEAR GAS, WATER CANNONS as Paris riots RAGE

. WE COVERED IT UNTIL THE END. NOW WE MOVE TO THIS. AND THIS IS LIVE. THE LEFTIST RIOTS RAGING AGAIN. IN FRANCE. POLICE IN RIOT GEAR AND USING. TEAR GAS TO CONTROL THE CROWDS. AGAIN. JEFF PAUL IS ON THE GROUND IN. PARIS. YOU ARE GEARED UP YOURSELF. THIS HAS GOTTEN MORE VIOLENT. THAN WHEN WE WATCHED THIS FOR SO. LONG THIS WEEK. WHAT IS HAPPENING, JEFF? >> THESE PROTESTS STARTED A FEW.

HOURS AGO. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HERE. WITHOUT INCIDENT. A LITTLE WHILE AGO THERE WAS A. CONFRONTATION OF THE POLICE AND. SMALL GROUP OF PROTESTORS. TEAR GAS FIRED. A BIT OF A RUSH FROM THE. PROTESTORS TRYING TO GET OUT OF. WHATEVER DANGER THEY WERE IN AND. THEN WE REALLY SAW THIS HUGE. CRUSH OF RIOT POLICE RUSHING. TOWARDS ALL THE PROTESTORS OUT. HERE. AT ONE POINT THEY HAD WATER.

CANNONS AND SPRAYING PROTESTORS. RUSHING TOWARDS THE POLICE. FOR A MOMENT THERE WAS A BIT OF. A DIRECT CLASH OF RIOT POLICE. OFFICERS AND SOME PROTESTORS. WE SAW THOUSANDS OF PROTESTORS. OUT HERE WHO WERE PROTESTING. RELATIVELY PEACEFULLY AND JUST. TRYING TO GET OUT OF DANGER. WHILE THAT CONFRONTATION WAS. HAPPENING. BUT RIGHT NOW YOU CAN DEFINITELY. SMELL AND FEEL AND TASTE THE. TEAR GAS IN THE AIR AS POLICE.

TRY TO GET THIS HUGE GROUP OF. DEMONSTRATORS TO PUSH BACK AND. FURTHER DISPERSE. WE'LL SEE IF THESE SORT OF. ACTIONS ACTUALLY WORK AS THESE. PROTESTORS BEGIN IN SOME CASES. TO THROW SOME THINGS, SHOOTING. OFF FIREWORKS AND SHOUTING. THINGS AT POLICE WHO ARE TRYING. TO GET THINGS UNDER CONTROL. >> Harris: I WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE. A CONTEXT OF WHAT IS GOING ON. BECAUSE WHEN YOU SAY THIS IS. STUDENTS AND SOME TEACHERS OUT. THERE PROTESTING THE STATE OF. SCHOOLS AND FRANCE, IT IS NOW. ACROSS SEVERAL CITIES FROM THE.

NORTH TO THE SOUTH. AND THE WESTERN PART OF THE. COUNTRY. AND GOING FROM THERE. MORE THAN 230, 50 SOME SOMETIMES. HE ESTIMATE AS 257,000 PEOPLE. WHO ARE PROTESTING THIS WEEK. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL THAT IT. IS NOT POSSIBLE THOSE ARE ALL. KIDS AND TEACHERS. WHO IS REALLY OUT THERE? WHERE IS THE DANGER COMING FROM? IF THE PROTESTORS OVER THE. SCHOOL SYSTEM OR WHATEVER THEY. ARE PROTESTING OVER NOW ARE. TRYING TO GET OUT SAFELY, WHAT'S. THE DANGER?

WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE? I SEE PALESTINIAN FLAGS. TALK TO ME ABOUT WHO IS REALLY. ON THE GROUND. >> HARRIS, COMPARED TO TUESDAY. THERE ARE FAR MORE YOUNG PEOPLE, STUDENTS OUT HERE. WHEN THIS START EVIDENCE A FEW. HOURS AGO THERE WAS TENS OF. THOUSANDS OF KIDS, STUDENTS OUT. HERE. NOW THEY CAN'T CONTROL EVERYBODY. COMING OUT HERE. THERE ARE GOING TO ALWAYS BE. SOME AGITATORS WHO SHOW UP TO. EVENTS LIKE THIS AND TRY TO. HIJACK THAT. SOME OF THE STUDENTS WE TALKED. TO SAY WE ARE AWARE OF THAT. THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE TRYING TO. SORT OF TAKE THIS MOVEMENT AND.

MAKE IT SOMETHING ELSE. THEY CAN'T NECESSARILY CONTROL. EVERYBODY WHO SHOWS UP HERE. I WILL SAY THE VAST MAJORITY OF. THE PEOPLE OUT HERE EARLIER. TODAY WERE JUST CHANTING. AT ONE POINT THEY WERE SINGING. THE NATIONAL ANTHEM OF FRANCE. >> Harris: WHAT ARE THEY. CHANTING? >> THEY ARE CHANTING THEY WANT. SCHOOL REFORM. BETTER EDUCATION. NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE. CHANTING RIGHT NOW. PROBABLY SOMETHING ABOUT THE. POLILICE. THEY WANT THEM TO PUSH BACK. THEY HAVE BEEN UPSET OVER THE. LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS HOW POLICE.

ARE RESPONDING TO RALLIES AND. BLOCKADES. AT ONE POINT IT LOOKED LIKE IT. WAS A GROUP OF 20 PEOPLE WHO. WERE TRYING TO CONFRONT POLICE. AS YOU KNOW, ANYONE ELSE WOULD. KNOW, THERE IS ALWAYS JUST. SOMETHING. IT TAKES ONE THING TO BE THROWN. AND POLICE ARE OBVIOUSLY GOING. TO RESPOND NO MATTER WHERE YOU. ARE AT IN THE WORLD POLICE WILL. RESPOND. >> Harris: I AM TRYING TO SQUARE. WHAT WE HAVE SEEN ALL WEEK LONG. IT IS THURSDAY, IT HAS BEEN MANY. DAYS OF THIS. AND WHEN YOU SEE THINGS -- AND I. DON'T SPEAK FRENCH SO I CAN'T.

TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU ARE. CHANTING. MAYBE YOU DO, YOU ARE ON THE. GROUND. BUT THE VIOLENCE, I DON'T KNOW, WHY WOULD THAT COME FROM KIDS? WHY WOULD THAT COME FROM. TEACHERS? AND NOW WATCH WHAT IS HAPPENING. AS THEY SPRAY THESE PEOPLE TO. PUSHSH THEM BACK. FROM YOUR OWN REPORTING. PROTESTORS TRYING TO GET OUT. SAFELY. I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE. INSURGENCY IS ABOUT FROM THESE. OTHER PEOPLE. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THEY ARE. SAYING? WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE CAUSES.

THAT THE STUDENTS SAY? ARE OUT T THERE. >> MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. WE HAVE ANOTHER RUSH OF POLICE. COMING IN. WE HAVE THE MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. SO WE CAN KEEP SAFE. BUT I WILL TELL YOU LAST NIGHT. THERE WAS AN ADDRESS FROM THE. PRIME MINISTER OF FRANCE AND HE. TRIED TO SORT OF EASE THOSE. TENSIONS SAYING WE'LL ANNOUNCE. SOMETHING BY THE END OF THE. MONTH. CHANGES TO THE EDUCATION SYSTEM. HERE IN FRANCE. THE STUDENT WE SPOKE WITH SAID. THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. THEY WANT SOMETHING CONCRETE AND. KEEP HOLDING THESE RALLIES AND. PROTESTS UNTIL THEY HAVE. SOMETHING CONCRETE.

I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF ANGER. AMONGST THE STUDENTS AND. SOMETIMES THATAT DOES MANIFEST. DIFFERENT WAYS. THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER ELEMENT. OUT HERE. PEOPLE SHOW UP AND SEE BIG. CROWDS AND WANT TO START A FIGHT. WITH POLICE. THEY WILL THROW SOMETHING AT IT. AND THAT OF COURSE GIVES A BAD. NAME FOR THE WHOLE MOVEMENT. >> Harris: HOW EARLY IN THE DAY. DO THEY GET STARTED OUT THERE? >> THEY SHOWED UP ABOUT 2:00. LOCAL TIME. ROUGHLY THREE HOURS AGO.

AND THEY --. >> Harris: IN THE MORNING? OH, IN THE AFTERNOON. >> IT'S 5:00 HERE NOW. LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE AT. DIFFERENT RALLIES AND MARCHED. HIM. THEY HAVE BEEN OUT HERE FOR TWO. OR THREE HOURS. NO INCIDENT UNTIL A FEW MINUTES. AGO WHEN THERE WAS A. CONFRONTATION. >> Harris: ARE THE STUDENTS. STILL SHUT DOWN AND WHY THEY ARE.

ABLE TO BE IN THE STREETS? >> SOME OF THE SCHOOLS ARE SHUT. DOWN. NOWHERE NEAR WHAT IT WAS ON. TUESDAY WHEN THERE WAS NEARLY. SOUNDED LIKE NEARLY EVERY SCHOOL. ACROSS FRANCE WAS CLOSED. A COUPLE HUNDRED SCHOOLS. >> Harris: I HEARD THEY ARE. BURNING SOME. >> LAST CHECK WE THINK 200. SCHOOLS WERE PARTIALLY OR FULLY. CLOSED BUT I THINK A LOT OF. THESE STUDENTS THINK THIS. MOVEMENT AND PROTEST IS TOO. IMPORTANT AND THEY WANANT THEIR.

VOICES HEARD. >> Harris: I WILL KEEP YOU WITH. ME STANDING BY. STAY SAFE. I WANT TO BRING IN NOW SIMON, A. FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL. AND FORMER U.S. CONSUL GENERAL. IN FRANCE. WHEN YOU AND I WERE TOGETHER A. COUPLE OF DAYS AGO THE WAY JEFF. PAUL IS REPORTING IT, IT WAS A. SCENE THAT WE SAW THAT HAD SO. MANY MORE SCHOOLS CLOSED SO ON. AND SO FORTH. DO YOU THINK THIS IS GETTING ANY. SORT OF POINT MADE? THE FRANCE PRIME MINISTER SAYING. THEY WILL LOOK AT MAKING REFORMS. BY THE END OF THE MONTH. THAT'S A LOT OF TIME FROM NOW.

>> Y YEAH, I THINK THAT'S THE. WHOLE POINT. WE'VE SEEN THIS IN FRANCE ABOUT. EVERY FIVE YEARS. THE ONE I WAS IN FRANCE FOR, SUBTRACT 50 YEARS FROM THE. AVERAGE AGE OF THE PROTESTOR WE. HAVE THE SAME THING. THEY WANT TO SQUEEZE JUICE OUT. OF A LEMON DRY. THEY HAVE A 5% BUDGET DEFICIT. AND DON'T HAVE ANY MORE MONEY TO. OFFER. I IMAGINE THEY WILL OFFER. SOMETHING. PROBABLY MORE BORROWED MONEY TO.

PUMP INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO. REDUCE CLASS SIZES, HIRE MORE. TEACHERS, FIX SOME OF THE DELL. -- IT IS GAME OF EXTORTION THAT. HAPPENS IN FRANCE PERIODICALLY. AND VERY OFTEN THE UNIONS WIN. AND STUDENTS AND LEFT WING OF. FRANCE WINS. >> Harris: WE WERE COVERING. THIS. WE COULD SEE FLAGS FROM. DIFFERENT COUNTRY AND THE. PALESTINIAN FLAG AND HOW QUICKLY. VIOLENCE WAS GROWING AND SOME OF.

THESE ENORMOUS CROWDS ACROSS. THAT COUNTRY. FROM JEFF PAUL'S REPORTING THERE. IS, YOU KNOW, I CALL IT AN. INSURGENCY IF YOU BREAK INTO A. PROTESTOR'S LINE AND SCREAMING. THINGS THEY AREN'T ABOUT. BUT THERE IS THIS OTHER ELEMENT. IT IS ON OUR SCREEN LIVE RIGHT. NOW. WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH. BETTER CONDITIONS IN LOCAL. SCHOOLS IN FRANCE? >> NOTHING AT ALL. IN FRANCE THEY HAVE A WORD FOR. IT. THEY CALL THEM BREAKER, A.

VANDAL. WE SAW THIS WITH ANTIFA WHERE. THEY WOULD MUSCLE IN ON. LEGITIMATE PROTESTS OR PEACEFUL. PROTESTS AND END UP A MOSTLY. PEACEFUL PROTEST WITH BURNING. AND LOOTING AND RIOTING. THE SAME THING HERE PARTICULARLY. IN VERY POOR AREAS WITH HIGH. IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS WHERE. YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ANGRY ABOUT A. LOT OF THINGS. THEY ARE LATCHING ON AND THE FAR. LEFT AND FAR LEFT UNIONS IN. FRANCE HAVE A HABIT OF DOING. THIS PARTICULARLY WHEN IT HELPS. THEM IN ELECTIONS. >> Harris: FAR LEFT AND FAR LEFT.

UNIONS. HOW MUCH FARTHER CAN YOU GO? IT GETS TOO FAR FROM YOU. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT IN TERMS. OF THE POLITICS THERE THAT WE. CAN LEARN FROM IN THE UNITED. STATES? LOOK, THE MAYOR OF NEW YORK. MAMDANI HAS GOTTEN HIMSELF IN A. STICKY WICKET. HE WON'T EVEN SAY JEWISH. CITIZENS. WE TOOK HIM LIVE A FEW MINUTES. AGO. HE WON'T EVEN SAY THAT. HE HAS PUSHED THE SOCIALISM. THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM HERE.

HE IS THE POSTER CHILD. LOOK AT MAMDANI. MAYBE THE REST OF THE DEMS CAN. DO THAT. ARE THERE LESSONS TO LEARN FROM. WHAT WE'VE WATCHED? NOT JUST FRANCE, IT IS SPAIN, TOO. >> I WOULD SAY THE NUMBER ONE. LESSON IS DON'T APPEASE MOBS. I'M AFRAID MAMDANI PROBABLY. AGREES WITH A LOT OF THE THINGS. THIS PARTICULAR MOB IS AFTER. THEY WANT MORE PUBLIC BENEFITS. NO REFORMS, THINGS LIKE. RETIREMENT AGE. THEY WANT TO SUPPORT THE. PALESTINIAN CAUSE OVER ISRAEL. AND ON AND ON AND ON.

LESSON NUMBER ONE IS DON'T LET. THESE PEOPLE GET AWAY WITH IT. LIKE WE DID IN 2020 IN THE U.S. IT WAS A DISASTER. IT RUINED MILLIONS OF LIVES. >> Harris: SIMON, WE'RE ON THE. STORY WITH HUGE CROWDS ALL OVER. THE COUNTRY OF FRANCE RIGHT NOW. SOME OF TH.