Paris: At least 1,800 people have been arrested across France following nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor school conditions that escalated into clashes with police, looting and arson, officials said on Sunday.
Masked protesters attacked and set fire to public buildings, including town halls, in several cities on Saturday. In Limoges, central France, a fire at the 19th-century town hall caused its roof to collapse.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said in a post on X that peaceful protest was a fundamental right, but deliberately creating disorder through collective violence was unacceptable. He also reported looting at hundreds of shops in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and other cities.
Nuñez and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu blamed what they described as radical left-wing groups for the violence. They said other troublemakers later joined the unrest to engage in looting.
Paris police said 855 people were arrested in the capital alone. Nationwide, around 550,000 people took part in the demonstrations, while organisers put the turnout at approximately 800,000.
More than 500 police officers, paramilitary personnel and firefighters were injured during the protests, according to the report.
