France Protest Chaos: Over 2,000 Arrested, 600 Officers Hurt
Writing on X, Nunez said more than 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured. He cautioned that the toll was provisional, that investigations were under way to identify those responsible, and that several hundred businesses suffered considerable material damage.
Alexandre Bompard, president of the Federation of Commerce and Distribution and chief executive of Carrefour, said 1,500 retailers were hit. He put the damage at “hundreds of millions of euros.”
The Interior Ministry said Saturday’s demonstrations drew 550,000 people nationwide, 110,000 of them in Paris. Organizers claimed turnout of about 800,000. The protests united Yellow Vest collectives, trade unions, students and farmers. The main Paris march passed without major incident, but violence broke out on the margins of demonstrations in several cities.
A protester died after collapsing on Boulevard Magenta in Paris. Police said the person suffered cardiorespiratory arrest. In Saint-Etienne, a 17-year-old lost a hand after being struck by a police grenade, according to a French daily newspaper.
Paris police initially reported 855 arrests. Prosecutors separately counted 720, including 517 people held in custody, and said the figures were not final.
In Limoges, fire gutted the historic city hall. Shops were looted and buildings damaged in cities including Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire announced an emergency task force to help affected businesses, assess damage and streamline administrative and insurance procedures. He scheduled a Monday meeting with business owners, chambers of commerce, insurers and government agencies.
“This Saturday, numerous businesses were targeted by unacceptable violence and looting. The extent of the damage is considerable and unprecedented,” Gregoire wrote in an open letter. He added: “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.”
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will chair an interministerial crisis meeting at 7 pm Sunday (1700GMT) on the economic fallout, insurance and judicial follow-up. He will also meet the mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon, who have demanded explanations over police resources and the handling of the unrest.
National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet is weighing a parliamentary commission of inquiry and will meet parliamentary group leaders Tuesday, according to a French news channel.
Calls for new gatherings Sunday in Paris and other major cities circulated on social media, including a rally at Place de la Republique at 2 pm (1200GMT). Shopkeepers fear fresh violence.
Lecornu blamed the “ultra-left” for the unrest, while opposition figures criticized policing tactics. Green politician Marine Tondelier and lawmaker Alexis Corbiere called for Nunez to resign, and the far-right National Rally renewed its demand that he step down.
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