Interior Ministry counts 980 arrests as France protests turn violent

France’s Interior Ministry recorded 980 arrests on Saturday as a new wave of nationwide protests resulted in street clashes in several major cities. The figure represents a sharp drop from the more than 2,500 detentions logged during the previous weekend’s unrest. Officials stated that while demonstrations remained largely peaceful during the day, violence erupted in the evening in locations including Paris, Marseille, and Bordeaux.

The government mobilized a police force of 70,000 officers for the event. This deployment was designed to prevent a recurrence of the chaos seen on October 17, when hundreds of businesses were looted and buildings were torched. Turnout estimates varied widely, with the Interior Ministry citing 410,000 participants and trade unions claiming approximately 800,000. President Emmanuel Macron had earlier decreed that only demonstrations organized by recognized trade unions would be permitted this week.

Violence in Paris began near the end of a march that started at Porte d'Italie and moved toward Porte de Vincennes. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds. An elite unit normally assigned to organized crime and counter-terrorism was deployed to the area. Protesters constructed makeshift barricades and threw projectiles at officers. In one incident, masked youths smashed the windows of a car dealership before police charged with batons.

In Marseille, demonstrators set fire to barricades and used metal sheets to block streets. In Bordeaux, witnesses reported people tearing boards off a shop. Lyon saw police fire tear gas at a crowd gathered in an area declared off-limits by the local prefecture. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated late in the day that the arrest count would continue to rise. He reported two serious injuries, one in Toulouse and another in Clermont-Ferrand.

Nuñez attributed the evening clashes to radical elements. He said several thousand radical activists gathered at the rear of the march, including around 500 individuals identified as rioters, according to AFP. Hundreds of people have been jailed in recent days following fast-track court hearings for vandalism, arson, and looting. These legal actions follow the severe disorder of the previous week, which included the injury of about 1,000 police officers.

Protesters expressed frustration over the cost of living and poor school conditions. A 26-year-old Parisian named Zelie told the BBC that people were suffering a lot and that the situation had been too much. Two masked teenagers said their generation felt abandoned by the government. One of the teenagers noted that looting was bad but blamed poverty and police violence, stating the protests would end when demands were met.

Unrest extended beyond French borders. Riot police in Tirana, Albania, fired tear gas at thousands of anti-government demonstrators. Clashes were also reported in Brussels. In Milan, hundreds of soldiers and police prevented protesters from gathering due to fears of a repeat of the previous week's violence. In Orléans, France, approximately 13,000 people rallied peacefully against the hard-right National Rally party.

The current unrest follows a major demonstration on October 17, where about 550,000 people protested rising fuel prices. The Chambers of Commerce and Industry estimated that over 2,000 shops and businesses were directly affected by the previous weekend's disorder, with damage reaching hundreds of millions of euros. With presidential elections six months away, leading political contenders have blamed President Macron and his ministers for the escalating social tension.

Police restrictions remained in place in several cities throughout the day. The focus of the security operation was on controlling the rear of marches where radical groups tended to congregate. The Interior Ministry confirmed that the 980 arrests were finalized by the end of the day, though the total number of detainees was expected to increase as paperwork was processed.