Inflation protests turn violent in France, with 1,200 arrested

PARIS — Nationwide marches against rising prices turned violent in France on Saturday. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said late in the day that 1,200 people had been arrested and 150 police officers injured.

Lecornu earlier condemned what he called "violence of extreme intensity". Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said whole streets in the capital "have been devastated", according to a report by The New Arab, which cited AFP.

Marches and violence

The violence began on the edges of marches in Paris and other cities over the cost of living. The interior ministry said 550,000 people took part. The CGT union, which joined the marches, put the figure at 800,000.

Police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters who threw projectiles and aimed fireworks at officers, according to the report. During and after the demonstrations, groups of young people moved through city streets. They clashed with police at times, set fires and broke into closed shops.

A 17-year-old boy lost his right hand to a crowd-control grenade in the southern city of Saint-Étienne, according to The New Arab. Antara, citing AFP, also reported the injury. The sources do not say who fired the grenade or give details of the circumstances.

Looting and damage

Shops were looted in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges, Lille, Toulouse and Strasbourg, the report said. Targets included supermarkets, pharmacies, luxury boutiques, clothing stores, opticians, cosmetics sellers and electronics retailers.

AFP reporters in Paris saw groups of about six young men attacking shops in an organised way, according to the report. They wore masks and gloves. They first disabled security cameras and then smashed windows to get inside.

Town halls in several cities were also targeted. The town hall in Limoges, more than 140 years old, was largely destroyed by a fire set by masked protesters who broke in, according to the region's top official. Protesters also entered and vandalised buildings in Marseille and Lille. A police compound in Bordeaux was vandalised. In Lyon, protesters set fire to a tourist office.

President Emmanuel Macron responded on X, saying that those who carried out vandalism and attacked administrative offices would face consequences. The available source text cuts off his statement, so its full wording could not be confirmed.

What is unconfirmed

The sources do not give a breakdown of the 1,200 arrests by city or the nature of the charges. They do not say how many people were hurt other than the police figure and the single grenade injury. The attendance figures from the interior ministry and the CGT differ by 250,000, and neither has been independently verified in the sources. No figure for the total cost of the damage was given.

Background

The unrest follows weeks of student protests, according to The New Arab. It comes as France prepares for elections in about six months to choose a successor to Macron. The outlet said the violence deepens political uncertainty. Antara reported the same arrest figure and described the protests as opposing rising living costs.