French police arrest 855 people in Paris as protests erupt and violence erupts across the country

French police said Sunday they arrested a record 855 people on Saturday for violence during protests, amid nationwide demonstrations.

Cars were set on fire and stores were looted in Paris on Saturday as police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators who joined demonstrations against the rising cost of living and in support of grievances of high school students.

The office of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported “an increasing number of violent incidents” across the country, including attacks on officers, looting and damage to public buildings.

Protesters across France responded to calls on social media to restart the Movement of “yellow vests”born in 2018 against social injustice. Protesters have expressed frustration and anger at the government as gasoline, energy and food prices have soared in recent months.

Police fired tear gas and water cannons to push back people wearing balaclavas and masks and threw fireworks, paving stones and other objects at officers in Place de la République, northeast of downtown Paris.

Associated Press journalists saw thick black smoke rising from cars, bicycles and other vehicles, as well as burning trash cans. A kiosk also burned, while several stores were looted. Several people were injured during the clashes.

Police tried to prevent other small groups of protesters from converging on government buildings, Nuñez’s office said.

Many metro stations were closed on Saturday at the request of police, including those around the Champs-Elysées and near the presidential palace, Parliament and government offices.

Meanwhile, the majority of peaceful protesters joined a march that headed northwest from Paris. The crowd chanted the French national anthem and waved flags, and some people played trumpets and violins.

Violence hits Lyon, Marseille and other cities

In Lyon, France’s third largest city, where around 20,000 demonstrators joined the march, a fire broke out in a tourist office.

In the southwestern city of Limoges, the region’s top official said masked protesters broke in and set fire to a town hall building, causing the spire to collapse in flames. “A wild horde” “deliberately” set fire to the 143-year-old building, whose roof largely collapsed during Saturday’s demonstrations, Maurice Barate, prefect of the Haute-Vienne department, told the LCI news channel.

In the southern port city of Marseille, some stores and a municipal police station were damaged, while protesters briefly forced their way into the lobby of city hall.

“It’s unacceptable,” the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, declared on BFM TV, describing the damage to the city hall as “limited.”

Nuñez’s office also reported violence perpetrated by masked groups in Rennes, Toulouse, Montpellier and Grenoble, among other cities.

Sonia Mabrouk, 40, says she came from a western suburb of Paris with her daughter, a high school student, to protest against “everything that is wrong”, in particular the neglect of public services. Mabrouk, who participated in the Yellow Vest protests, criticized “policies that favor the rich and always hit the poorest in their wallets.”

Many protesters could be seen wearing the fluorescent yellow vests that have become a symbol of the 2018 rallies. “There is a general feeling of frustration and anger,” Mabrouk said as he marched alongside peaceful demonstrators of all ages.

Saturday’s protests follow weeks of school blockades

Student groups protesting against the school blockade since mid-September have urged their supporters to join them.

The CGT, one of France’s main unions, also supported the protests, calling for “higher wages and pensions, lower prices and the protection of public services that meet the needs of citizens.”

More than 500,000 protesters took part in the rallies on Saturday.

In recent weeks, France has seen thousands of arrests, hundreds of injuries and schools burned as the new school year has devolved into nationwide student protests that are influencing the country’s politics. campaign for the presidential election and attract international attention.

Far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchonwho supported the high school students’ movement, also participated in the Parisian demonstration on Saturday.

Among the demonstrators, particularly gruesome injuries suffered by some teenagers were blamed on police riot weapons. Nuñez suspended police use of a type of stun grenade against young protesters after a 15-year-old lost his hand.