France Arrests More Than 1,800 After Cost-of-Living Protests
More than 1,800 people were arrested across France after riots, looting and arson during cost-of-living protests, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. President Emmanuel Macron is due to address the nation at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday. The unrest also left more than 600 officers injured, while Paris police reported a record 855 arrests.
More than 1,800 people were arrested across France after cost-of-living protests turned violent, with fires, looting and clashes reported in several cities. President Emmanuel Macron is due to address the nation at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, as the unrest sharpens tensions ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced the arrest figure on Sunday. France’s Interior Ministry said more than 600 officers were injured, while Paris police reported 855 arrests, describing the total as a record.
The toll was still provisional. Prosecutors said 517 people remained in custody, including 171 minors, as arrests continued until early Sunday.
Macron address nation riots after protests spread
The demonstrations brought together people protesting fuel prices, low wages and difficulties facing farmers and firefighters. School and university students also joined, calling for better learning conditions.
France’s Interior Ministry estimated nationwide turnout at 550,000, including 110,000 in Paris. The CGT trade union put the national figure higher, at 800,000.
Macron said those responsible for violence would be prosecuted and punished. In a post on X, he condemned attacks on government buildings, businesses and town halls, writing: “No room for violence in our Republic.”
The consequences were visible in several cities. In Limoges, rioters set fire to the historic town hall, leaving much of the building gutted. Mayor Guillaume Guerin condemned the destruction in an interview with broadcaster LCI.
“There are no words to condemn what happened, so appalling is it,” Guerin said. “The country is in chaos.”
Authorities also reported attacks on public buildings and shops in Marseille, Lyon, Avignon and Grenoble. Police used tear gas, batons and water cannon in several cities. The newspaper Le Figaro reported that a 17-year-old lost a hand after a grenade fired by police in Saint-Etienne.
Election tensions and spending limits
The violence has added pressure on a government already facing demands over the cost of living. France’s high debt and budget deficit limit its ability to meet calls for more public spending, according to the report.
Online calls to revive the yellow vest movement have also raised concern that student demonstrations could grow into wider unrest. The movement began in 2018 over planned fuel tax increases and expanded into protests over living costs and inequality.
Politicians seeking to succeed Macron in the presidential elections in April and May also responded. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen accused the party of her far-left rival Jean-Luc Melenchon of having “legitimized the violence.” She said she would protect the French “from the violence of the extreme left.”
Melenchon, who had supported the demonstrations and earlier student protests, urged demonstrators to avoid looting, calling it “contrary to our methods.”
US President Donald Trump blamed immigration for the protests in a post on Truth Social. “The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country,” he wrote.
The Elysee Palace said Macron would address the nation at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday. Paris police had reported 855 arrests.
