French authorities reported around 1,200 arrests and 150 injured police officers and gendarmes after a day of widespread unrest on Saturday, when cost-of-living protests were accompanied by looting, arson and clashes in several major cities.
Between 550,000 and 800,000 people took to the streets across France, with most demonstrations remaining peaceful. However, violent incidents caused extensive damage to public buildings, businesses and infrastructure in several urban centres.
In Limoges, the city hall caught fire, while Lyon’s tourist office at Place Bellecour was also set ablaze. Town halls in Marseille, Lille and Angers were targeted by intruders, and the prefect’s residence in Bordeaux was ransacked.
Paris experienced some of the most serious violence. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said entire streets had been systematically devastated as clashes between protesters and police spread through the capital.
Place de la République was littered with projectiles by midday, while riot police used tear gas to disperse groups of demonstrators. Emergency service vehicles were set alight, sending thick black smoke above the city’s rooftops.
After nightfall, masked groups dressed in black continued to move through several districts, targeting shops and forcing open metal shutters to steal merchandise. Damaged storefronts, burned bicycles and discarded goods remained on the streets after the groups moved on.
The violence also reached prominent areas, including the Champs-Élysées, with clashes reported closer to the Élysée Palace and the National Assembly. Firefighters and police units followed the unrest as emergency services responded to incidents across the city.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the destruction in a social media post on Saturday evening, saying there was no place for violence in the country.
He warned that those responsible for attacking public buildings, damaging shops and looting town halls would face prosecution and punishment.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez blamed what he described as organised groups of rioters, saying they had been encouraged by the far left. His comments added to a political dispute over responsibility for the violence.
Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said legitimate social demands had been taken over by the far left. She accused lawmakers aligned with Jean-Luc Mélenchon of legitimising disorder and contributing to instability.
Mélenchon, a prominent figure on the French left, also condemned the looting and vandalism, despite criticising the government’s handling of the situation.
“The leaders no longer know what to do; the rank and file are afraid and running amok,” he wrote on X.
He added that people supporting his political movement had no place participating in looting or vandalism.
The unrest has placed pressure on French authorities to restore public order while addressing the grievances behind the demonstrations. The scale of the damage and the number of arrests have also intensified debate over policing, political rhetoric and the boundaries between peaceful protest and criminal acts.
