French Interior Ministry Reports 980 Arrests Following Nationwide Cost-of-Living Demonstrations

The French interior ministry reported 980 arrests on Saturday following a new wave of nationwide protests that began peacefully but ended in clashes across several major cities. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that the figure would likely rise as police continued to process detainees. The demonstrations focused on the rising cost of living and deteriorating conditions in schools, marking the second major protest wave in as many weeks.

The conflict intensified in the evening as daytime marches gave way to confrontations in Paris, Marseille, and Bordeaux. Police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds. In Paris, trouble started near the end of a march from Porte d'Italie toward Porte de Vincennes. Officers used batons against masked youths who smashed the windows of a car dealership. In Marseille, protesters set barricades on fire, while in Bordeaux, people tore boards off a shop. Authorities noted that the disorder was less severe than the widespread rioting and looting seen the previous weekend.

The current unrest follows a period of intense instability. Last weekend, approximately 550,000 people demonstrated against fuel prices and living costs, following weeks of student protests. That event resulted in more than 2,500 arrests, with damage to over 2,000 businesses estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry. About 1,000 police officers were injured during those clashes, including one demonstrator who reportedly lost a hand to a crowd-control grenade. President Emmanuel Macron decreed earlier this week that only demonstrations organized by recognized trade unions would be permitted.

To prevent a repeat of the previous week's chaos, the government deployed approximately 70,000 police officers and imposed restrictions in several cities. The interior ministry estimated the turnout at 410,000, while union leaders claimed the number reached 800,000. In Lyon, police fired tear gas into a crowd of roughly 150 people, mostly students, in an area declared off-limits by the local prefecture. One protester told the BBC, "You could barely see anything in the street."

Nuñez identified around 500 individuals as rioters among several thousand radical activists who gathered at the rear of the march in Paris. He reported that two people were seriously injured, one in Toulouse and the other in Clermont-Ferrand. Fast-track court hearings in recent days have already jailed hundreds of people for vandalism, arson, and looting.

Protesters expressed deep frustration with the government. A 26-year-old Paris protester named Zelie told the BBC that people were "suffering a lot" and that "it's been too much." Two masked teenagers said their generation felt abandoned. One added that while looting was "really not good," they blamed poverty and police violence, stating the protests would end only when demands were met.

The unrest extended beyond France, with riot police firing tear gas at demonstrators in Tirana, Albania, and clashes reported in Brussels. In Milan, hundreds of soldiers and police prevented gatherings to avoid a repeat of violence. Separately, 13,000 people rallied peacefully in Orléans against the hard-right National Rally party. With presidential elections six months away, leading political contenders have placed blame on President Macron and his ministers for the escalating disorder.

The government aims to contain the protests before they escalate further. Police operations included elite units normally assigned to organized crime and counter-terrorism tasks. The focus remains on managing the crowd sizes and preventing the destruction of property that characterized the previous weekend's events.