French Police Make 1,800 Arrests Following Nationwide Protests Over Cost of Living and Schools
French law enforcement authorities arrested at least 1,800 individuals across the country following a wave of nationwide demonstrations that turned violent, resulting in widespread looting, extensive property damage, and severe structural fires. The protests, which drew hundreds of thousands of participants denouncing rising living costs and deteriorating conditions in schools, saw masked groups clash with police and target public buildings.
In Limoges, a city in central France, a deliberate fire engulfed the 19th-century City Hall and caused its roof to collapse. Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate stated that the blaze nearly destroyed the municipal building before firefighters brought it under control by Sunday. In Marseille, protesters briefly forced their way into the lobby of City Hall, while hooded individuals damaged a local police station. In Lyon, a separate fire broke out inside a tourist office.
Government figures placed the total turnout for the demonstrations at approximately 550,000 people, while organizers estimated the number reached 800,000. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported that more than 500 police officers, gendarmes, and firefighters sustained injuries during the unrest. Paris police confirmed that one person died of a heart attack during the events, and the Paris prosecutors’ office announced an investigation into the fatality.
In the capital region alone, Paris police reported 855 arrests. By Sunday morning, the aftermath of the violence was visible around the Place de la République and other central shopping and tourist districts, where streets were littered with dislodged cobblestones, shattered storefronts, and broken glass. Police officials noted that unauthorized marches consisting of several hundred to more than 1,000 people formed across central Paris on Saturday, with large numbers arriving by late afternoon specifically to engage in theft and looting.
Interior Minister Nuñez and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu attributed parts of the violence to radical far-left groups, noting that others subsequently joined to exploit the unrest for looting. Nuñez condemned the actions on social media, emphasizing that while the right to protest is fundamental, collectively sowing disorder through violence is not. Looting and property damage were documented in multiple major urban centers, including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, and Limoges.
In response to the widespread destruction, the mayors of France’s three largest cities—Paris, Marseille, and Lyon—requested an urgent meeting with the prime minister in the coming days to address the severity of the situation. Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron scheduled an emergency meeting with top government officials on Sunday afternoon, followed by a televised address to the nation.
