France Counts Cost Of Violent Protests As 1,800 Arrested

France is counting the cost of widespread destruction following violent protests that led to the arrest of about 1,800 people, the burning of a historic town hall and looting across several cities.

The protests, which took place on Saturday, left streets littered with burnt debris, damaged vehicles and vandalised businesses, with authorities estimating that about 1,500 businesses were affected.

“It’s like we had a war,” a 78-year-old resident of central Paris, Mehmet Ozeden, told the Agence France-Presse, describing the destruction around his neighbourhood.

The unrest has increased pressure on President Emmanuel Macron, who is approaching the final months of his tenure ahead of elections to elect his successor in six months. It followed weeks of student demonstrations that had also turned violent on some occasions.

Macron is expected to address the nation on Sunday evening, according to his office.

France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nunez, said 1,800 people had been arrested nationwide, adding that investigations were ongoing to identify those responsible for the violence and bring them to justice.

In Paris, police reported a record 855 arrests, while several streets were left scarred by burnt-out cars, smashed shopfronts and charred debris.

The capital experienced “a level of violence that we have never, I believe, seen before,” Paris Deputy Mayor Lamia El Aaraje said.

Hundreds of shops were reportedly looted in Paris and other cities, including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Strasbourg, during demonstrations against the rising cost of living.

The Retail and Trade Federation estimated that approximately 1,500 businesses were damaged, with losses running into hundreds of millions of euros.

A Paris resident, Anita Gras, who went jogging through streets littered with debris, said she witnessed young men looting a sports footwear retailer.

“They stayed until 1:00 am, we were afraid they were going to throw things at us,” she said.

Another resident, 57-year-old Cecile Rogue, described the scenes as terrifying while surveying a pile of charred bicycles.

“It’s appalling, terrifying — groups of young people came here yesterday (Saturday), looting, smashing everything, with total impunity,” she said.

In Limoges, a fire destroyed the city’s 19th-century town hall. The local prefect, Maurice Barate, told news channel LCI that the blaze had been deliberately started by what he described as “a wild horde”. Firefighters brought it under control early on Sunday.

Lyon Mayor Gregory Doucet also condemned the violence, describing the chaos that gripped the city for several hours as abominable.

A tourist office in central Lyon was set ablaze during the demonstrations, which also witnessed clashes and looting.

The violence triggered political accusations, with the French government and far-right leader Marine Le Pen blaming ultra-left groups, while far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused the authorities of escalating tensions.

El Aaraje, a Socialist deputy mayor of Paris, accused Le Pen’s party of “acting like a pyromaniac firefighter” by exploiting the unrest to advance its presidential ambitions.

United States Vice President JD Vance also weighed in on the crisis, suggesting in a post on X that the unrest was linked to France having “imported the third world”.

Meanwhile, tourists in Paris were seen fleeing with their suitcases through streets filled with tear gas and protesters during Saturday’s demonstrations.

One tourist, who declined to give her name, described the experience as frightening.

“It was awful, I was so afraid,” she said on Sunday.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said more than 500 people remained in custody, with many facing allegations including receiving stolen goods, association with intent to commit violence and vandalism.

Interior Minister Nunez said about 500 police officers, firefighters and paramedics were injured during the protests, although he described the figure as provisional. He was expected to visit Marseille on Sunday to assess the extensive damage in the city.

The violence occurred alongside nationwide demonstrations that attracted an estimated 550,000 participants, according to the Interior Ministry. The CGT trade union put the turnout at 800,000.

In the southern city of Saint-Étienne, a 17-year-old boy reportedly lost his right hand after a crowd-control grenade exploded.

Analyst Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group think tank criticised the violence, arguing in a post on X that the scenes witnessed on Saturday did not represent genuine political protest.

He said many demonstrations against high fuel prices and deteriorating schools had been peaceful.

France’s Yellow Vest movement, which staged nationwide protests eight years ago over planned fuel tax increases under Macron’s administration, had called for Saturday’s demonstrations under the banner of “yellow and youth”.

The latest protests were driven primarily by the rising cost of living, which has been aggravated partly by the war in the Middle East and its impact on inflation across Europe and other parts of the world.