France counts cost of violent protests, as 1,800 arrested

France yesterday was reeling from widespread damage caused by violent protests the day before that saw 1,800 people arrested, a historic town hall torched and widespread looting.

“It’s like we had a war,” a 78-year-old resident in central Paris, Mehmet Ozeden, said amid burnt street barricades from the protests.

The convulsion raised the stakes for French President Emmanuel Macron, who is in his final months in power before elections to replace him in six months’ time. It followed weeks of student protests that had also turned violent at times.

People walk past damaged windows of a McDonald’s in Paris yesterday, the day after clashes during a national day of demonstrations.

Photo: Reuters

French Minister of the Interior Laurent Nunez said 1,800 people were arrested over the protests and looting, with investigations under way “to identify the perpetrators of these acts so they can be brought to justice.”

Torched cars, smashed shopfronts and burnt debris scarred numerous streets in Paris, where officials said 557 people were in custody after a “record” number of arrests.

The capital experienced “a level of violence that we have never, I believe, seen before,” Paris Deputy Mayor Lamia El Aaraje said.

Hundreds of shops were looted in Paris and other cities, including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Strasbourg, during the protests over the cost of living.

One person died during the main march in Paris, but officials said it was health-related and not linked to the protest violence.

About 1,500 businesses were damaged, causing losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros, according to the Retail and Trade Federation.

One Paris resident, Anita Gras, out for a jog between the debris, said she saw young men loot a sports shoe retailer.

“They stayed until 1am, we were afraid they were going to throw things at us,” she said.

“It’s appalling, terrifying — groups of young people came here yesterday [Saturday], looting, smashing everything, with total impunity,” said another resident, 57-year-old Cecile Rogue, surveying a pile of charred bicycles.

Limoges lost its 19th-century town hall to a fire.

Haute-Vienne Prefect Maurice Barate told news channel LCI it had been deliberately set by “a wild horde” and was only brought under control early yesterday.

Lyon Mayor Gregory Doucet said “the chaos that reigned in the city for several hours was abominable.”

A tourist office in the center of Lyon was set ablaze during the protests, which saw multiple clashes and looting.

In Paris, startled tourists on Saturday were seen running with suitcases along streets filled with tear gas and protesters.

A Danish tourist, Soren Petersen, said it was “sad” to see damage to Paris buildings.

“It is not a protest; it’s far beyond a normal protest,” he said.