Over 1,300 people arrested during protests in France

French police arrested 1,314 individuals during nationwide protests held on Saturday, according to the interior ministry. The ministry stated that 53 officers sustained injuries in clashes that erupted on the margins of mass demonstrations in major cities. These figures mark the second consecutive weekend of civil unrest in France, occurring six months before presidential elections scheduled for April and May to select a successor to President Emmanuel Macron, who is reaching his term limit. The interior ministry reported that police responded to 75 fires during the demonstrations, resulting in the looting of 24 shops. While the ministry noted that the remainder of the night remained calm after initial clashes subsided, it did not disclose the total number of protesters injured. Late on Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez identified two serious injuries among demonstrators, one in Toulouse and one in Clermont-Ferrand. Authorities deployed 70,000 security personnel across the country for the marches, a force ten thousand larger than the previous weekend. This increased deployment followed a concession by officials that they had underestimated the scale of the prior week's unrest, which saw 2,700 arrests, widespread vandalism of public buildings, and the looting of hundreds of stores. Estimates regarding attendance varied significantly between official counts and organizers. The interior ministry placed the national turnout at approximately 410,000 people, with roughly 110,000 participating in the Paris march. Conversely, the organizing trade union, CGT, claimed participation reached 800,000 nationwide, with 250,000 in the capital. In Paris, the main demonstration proceeded largely peacefully, though the route was altered at the last minute by authorities from the central-eastern Bastille district to the more remote Porte d’Italie on the southeastern rim. After the organized march concluded, clashes broke out as crowds dispersed. Nuñez blamed these disturbances on 500 rioters positioned at the rear of the procession. He characterized the violence as stemming from risk groups that detached from the main demonstrations to attack security forces, specifically citing the radical extreme left. Security measures in Paris resembled a lockdown, with shopkeepers boarding up storefronts and numerous cultural institutions closing their doors. The Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Paris Opera, and the Grand Palais were shuttered as a precaution. More than 20 metro stations were closed, disrupting access to key sites such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées. The Art Basel Paris exhibition, which had opened to the public on Friday, canceled its entire weekend program due to safety concerns. Tourists expressed frustration at the closures, with one visitor from New Orleans noting the confusion caused by boarded-up streets. Business groups had urged retailers to remain closed following the extensive damage incurred during the previous weekend’s riots, which resulted in losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros. Violence manifested differently across other French cities. In Nantes, thousands of protesters breached police lines using tear gas and water cannons to reach the city center. In Lyon, police used tear gas to disperse approximately 1,000 people gathered in the south of the city, while in Marseille, youths blocked streets with metal sheets, set fire to trash bins, and threw rocks at riot police. Clashes also occurred in Bordeaux, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, and Nice. In the southern cities of Cannes and Montpellier, authorities reported an unprecedented development involving clashes between far-right activists and ultra-left militants. Looting was observed on the sidelines of marches in both Marseille and Grenoble. Political tensions intensified as the protests coincided with a weekend congress for the far-right National Rally party in Orléans, aimed at launching Marine Le Pen’s presidential campaign. Thousands of demonstrators marched against Le Pen and Macron, chanting slogans such as "Macron resign. Le Pen in prison." Macron’s government had ordered police to prevent protesters from reaching city centers where shops are concentrated and imposed partial curfews in specific urban zones. The president had previously declared non-union demonstrations illegitimate and banned them. Leftist leaders criticized the government for limiting authorized marches and shifting routes, viewing the crackdown as an assault on the right to protest. The unrest originated from student demonstrations in suburban Paris last month protesting poor school conditions. These actions expanded into broader movements against the high cost of living and government austerity plans. Inflation in France has risen sharply, partly driven by global economic factors linked to conflicts in the Middle East. Similar protests have taken place in neighboring countries, including Italy, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, often overlapping on issues of inflation and education. In Brussels, Belgian police used tear gas and pepper spray against anti-government demonstrators. In Italy, 500 troops were dispatched to quell street violence in Milan. President Macron attributed the severe violence of the previous week to ultra-left groups seeking to undermine the republic. However, widespread anger persists regarding the government’s handling of the crisis. Presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who participated in the Paris rally, praised the collective discipline of the majority of protesters. He predicted that demonstrations would continue weekly until Macron addresses the underlying social malaise. The interior ministry stated that several investigations have been opened regarding the incidents, though specific details were withheld. Nuñez maintained that the outcome of Saturday’s events was more positive than the previous week, citing faster police response times and improved protection of businesses.