France Logs 980 Arrests as New Protest Wave Turns Violent

French police arrested 980 people on Saturday as nationwide demonstrations against the cost of living ended in clashes across several cities. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the arrest count late in the day, noting that the number would likely increase. Two people sustained serious injuries during the unrest, one in Toulouse and the other in Clermont-Ferrand.

The interior ministry estimated that 410,000 people participated in the marches. Unions claimed the turnout was closer to 800,000. Authorities deployed approximately 70,000 police officers to the streets. This heavy presence aimed to prevent a repeat of the previous weekend's disorder, which saw widespread looting and fire.

Demonstrations began peacefully during the day but turned violent in the evening. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds in multiple locations, including Paris. In Marseille, protesters set barricades on fire. In Bordeaux, demonstrators tore boards off a shop window. Officials noted that the violence did not reach the scale of the riots seen a week earlier.

In Paris, conflicts started near the end of a march from Porte d'Italie to Porte de Vincennes. An elite police unit, typically assigned to counter-terrorism, joined the operation. Protesters built makeshift barriers and threw objects at officers. Police responded with baton charges against masked youths who smashed windows at a car dealership.

Nuñez stated that several thousand radical activists gathered at the rear of the march. He identified around 500 of them as rioters. In Lyon, police fired tear gas to clear a crowd that had entered an area declared off-limits by the local prefecture. One student protester told the BBC that the tear gas made it difficult to see.

President Emmanuel Macron had issued a decree earlier in the week restricting demonstrations to those organized by recognized trade unions. This rule followed a series of fast-track court hearings where hundreds of people were jailed for vandalism, arson, and looting. The government sought to control the narrative and limit spontaneous gatherings.

Protesters expressed deep frustration with the government. A 26-year-old woman named Zelie, speaking in Paris, said the population was suffering greatly. Two masked teenagers stated that their generation felt abandoned. One acknowledged that looting was not ideal but blamed poverty and police violence. They said the protests would continue until their demands were met.

Unrest extended beyond France's borders. Riot police in Tirana, Albania, fired tear gas at anti-government demonstrators. Clashes were reported in Brussels. In Milan, hundreds of soldiers and police blocked gathering spots to prevent a repeat of the previous week's violence. The demonstrations coincided with a period of heightened political tension.

The current wave of protests follows a larger demonstration last weekend that drew about 550,000 people. That event resulted in more than 2,500 arrests. Over 2,000 businesses reported direct damage, with costs estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Approximately 1,000 police officers were injured, and one demonstrator lost a hand to a crowd-control grenade.

Political leaders are already using the unrest in their campaigns. With presidential elections six months away, top contenders have blamed President Macron and his ministers for the instability. The government faces pressure to address rising living costs and improve conditions in schools, the two main issues cited by demonstrators.