Natacha Butler

“had to move out of the way because it was simply too much for us to breathe”

Natacha Butler · said 2026-10-31 · reported 2026-10-31

Butler said her team had to move away from the tear gas because it was too much to breathe.

“What we’ve been seeing … is the police firing a lot of tear gas into this crowd,”

Natacha Butler · said 2026-10-31 · reported 2026-10-31

Al Jazeera's Natacha Butler reported from Paris that police fired tear gas into the crowd as protests turned violent after beginning peacefully.

“You really get a sense with people who have come into the street again and again over the past few weeks that they simply don’t believe the government any more. That trust has gone,”

Natacha Butler · said 2026-10-31 · reported 2026-10-31

Butler said most protesters condemned the violence but many blamed the government for failing to listen, and that trust between protesters and the government had eroded.

“Whether it’s going to be enough to placate some people, I’m not really sure, because those who have been out protesting say they’re fed up of hearing these sorts of speeches by the French president,”

Natacha Butler · said 2026-10-18 · reported 2026-10-18

Reporting from Paris, Butler said she was unsure if Macron's speech would placate protesters who say they are fed up of such speeches.