PARIS, France — More than 2,000 people have been arrested across France following nationwide cost-of-living protests that escalated into violent clashes, arson and widespread looting, leaving more than 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters injured, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Sunday.
The unrest erupted alongside mass demonstrations involving Yellow Vest groups, trade unions, students and farmers, causing extensive damage to businesses and public infrastructure in several major French cities.
In a statement on X, Nuñez said the injury figures remained provisional as authorities continued investigating the violence and identifying those responsible. He added that hundreds of businesses had suffered significant material damage.
Alexandre Bompard, president of the Federation of Commerce and Distribution and chief executive of Carrefour, said approximately 1,500 retailers had been affected, with losses estimated at hundreds of millions of euros.
Saturday’s demonstrations drew an estimated 550,000 people nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris, according to the Interior Ministry. Organisers, however, put the national turnout at approximately 800,000.
While the main demonstration in Paris proceeded without major incidents, violence broke out on the sidelines of protests in several cities. Rioters reportedly set fires, looted shops and damaged public and private property.
In Paris, a demonstrator died after collapsing on Boulevard Magenta. Police said the individual suffered cardiorespiratory arrest.
In Saint-Étienne, a 17-year-old lost a hand after being struck by a police grenade, according to French newspaper Le Parisien.
Paris police initially announced 855 arrests, while prosecutors separately reported 720 arrests, including 517 people placed in custody. Authorities said the figures were preliminary and subject to revision.
In Limoges, a major fire devastated the city’s historic town hall, while shops were looted and buildings damaged in Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced the establishment of an emergency task force to assist affected businesses, assess the destruction and facilitate administrative and insurance procedures.
He also scheduled a meeting for Monday with business owners, chambers of commerce, insurers and government agencies to coordinate the response.
“This Saturday, numerous businesses were targeted by unacceptable violence and looting. The extent of the damage is considerable and unprecedented,” Grégoire wrote in an open letter.
“Nothing can justify such acts. No anger, no demand, however legitimate, can authorize attacks on those who work, who are driven entrepreneurs, and who keep our city alive every day,” he added.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was scheduled to chair an interministerial crisis meeting at 7 p.m. on Sunday to address the economic consequences of the unrest, insurance claims and judicial proceedings.
He was also expected to meet the mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon, who had demanded explanations regarding the deployment of police resources and the authorities’ handling of the violence.
National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet was considering establishing a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the unrest, according to BFMTV. She was expected to meet parliamentary group leaders on Tuesday to discuss the proposal.
Meanwhile, calls for further demonstrations on Sunday circulated on social media, including a planned gathering at Place de la République in Paris at 2 p.m., raising concerns among business owners about the possibility of renewed violence.
The unrest has intensified political pressure on the government over its handling of the demonstrations.
Lecornu blamed the violence on the “ultra-left”, while opposition figures criticised police tactics and the authorities’ response.
Green politician Marine Tondelier and lawmaker Alexis Corbière called for Nuñez’s resignation, while the far-right National Rally renewed its demand for the interior minister to step down.
The government now faces mounting pressure to restore public order, address the damage suffered by businesses and respond to questions about security arrangements as France confronts the economic and political fallout from the protests.
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