Paris – France witnessed some of its worst urban violence in years as nationwide cost-of-living protests descended into looting, arson and clashes with police, leaving nearly 2,400 people arrested and almost 1,000 officers injured.
Authorities said about 550,000 people joined Saturday’s demonstrations backed by labour unions, student groups and a revived Yellow Vest movement, demanding action over rising prices and poor conditions in public services like schools. Organisers put the figure at 800,000.
The unrest was most intense in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Limoges. Town halls were torched, including the historic 19th-century town hall in Limoges, hundreds of shops were looted around Place de la République, and tourist offices and luxury stores were smashed.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed 2,400 arrests on Saturday and 108 more on Sunday. Seven officers were seriously injured. One protester died after cardiac arrest in Paris. In Saint-Étienne, a 17-year-old boy suffered hand amputation from a crowd-control grenade.
President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation Sunday night:
“Tonight, we all feel anger and shame. Looking at these images, we all asked ourselves: What was going through their minds? How can French people do this to France? Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it.”
He drew a distinction between peaceful demonstrators with “legitimate grievances” and “agitators from ultra-left fringe groups, joined by numerous delinquents” who unleashed “unbridled violence.”
“Those who destroyed must pay, those who looted will pay for damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable,” Macron vowed.
He instructed prefects to work with mayors to ban protests where necessary, but stopped short of declaring a state of emergency.
Fresh clashes broke out Sunday as police fired tear gas and stun grenades at unauthorized gatherings in Paris, with protesters hurling bottles and stones.
The protests come as Macron, due to leave office in 2027 after a decade in power, faces mounting anger over inflation, weak growth and rising public debt.