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More than 2,000 people have been arrested during and after nationwide cost-of-living protests involving Yellow Vest groups in France, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Sunday, following clashes, arson and widespread looting, Anadolu Agency reported.
More than 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured, Nunez said on “X”. He added that the injury toll was provisional and investigations were under way to identify those responsible. Several hundred businesses sustained considerable material damage.
Alexandre Bompard, president of the Federation of Commerce and Distribution and chief executive of “Carrefour”, said 1,500 retailers had been affected, estimating the damage at “hundreds of millions of euros”.
Saturday’s demonstrations drew 550,000 people nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris, according to the Interior Ministry. Organizers put the turnout at around 800,000.
The mobilization brought together Yellow Vest groups, trade unions, students and farmers. The main march in Paris passed without major incidents, but violence broke out on the sidelines of demonstrations in several cities.
A demonstrator died after collapsing on Boulevard Magenta in Paris. Police said the person had suffered cardiorespiratory arrest. “Le Parisien” also reported that a 17-year-old lost a hand after being struck by a police grenade in Saint-Etienne.
Paris police earlier announced 855 arrests, while prosecutors separately reported 720 arrests, including 517 people held in custody. They said the figures had not yet been finalized.
In Limoges, a fire devastated the historic city hall. Shops were also looted and buildings damaged in Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire announced an emergency task force to help affected businesses, assess damage and facilitate administrative and insurance procedures. He also announced a meeting on Monday with business owners, chambers of commerce, insurers and government agencies.
“Numerous businesses were targeted by unacceptable violence and looting this Saturday. The extent of the damage is considerable and unprecedented,” Gregoire 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.”
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will chair an interministerial crisis meeting at 7 pm on Sunday (1700 GMT) to address the economic impact, insurance and judicial follow-up. He will also meet the mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon, who have demanded explanations about police resources and the handling of the unrest.
National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet is considering setting up a parliamentary commission of inquiry and will meet parliamentary group leaders on Tuesday, BFMTV reported.
Calls for renewed gatherings on Sunday in Paris and other major French cities circulated on social media. They included a rally at Place de la Republique at 2 pm (1200 GMT), prompting shopkeepers to fear further violence.
Lecornu blamed the “ultra-left” for the violence, 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.
