Overview

• France’s Interior Ministry estimates that about 8,000 so-called professional rioters could operate across the country during the 18 September demonstrations, with Paris police flagging likely formations at the head of marches.
• The black bloc is described as a mode of action rather than a formal organization, focused on taking and holding public space during protests.
• Participants typically dress all in black, move to the front of marches behind a banner that can also shield against tear gas, and seek confrontation with police.
• Equipment and projectiles are often stashed along routes in advance, and participants may quickly change clothes to blend back into the crowd and complicate arrests.
• Experts say the movement is anti-capitalist and targets property or symbols of authority rather than looting, with roots in Germany and a presence in French protests that became systematic around 2016.