I do agree with alpac, the newsmedia in America tend to blow things out of proportion,it's call ratings
. Although violence this strong is unusual for France, protesting against the govrnment is not. France has always had a "revolutionary spirit", and has always brought issues in the street. In 1968, students and workers joined forces protesting the government shutting down Paris and forcing the president(De Gaulle) to flee out of the country until things settled down.