Cost of living protests across France turn violent with looting and arrests

A series of protests over the cost of living devolved into chaos and violence across France on Saturday, with looting, arson and attacks on police reported in multiple cities. More than 550,000 people joined demonstrations nationwide, according to the Ministry of Interior, making it one of the most turbulent days of protests in decades.

The unrest, which followed weeks of student protests over education funding, has put the government under intense pressure as it struggles to manage public anger over soaring prices and deteriorating public services.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 110,000 protesters took to the streets in Paris and 550,000 across France, though the CGT union estimated nearly 800,000 nationwide. The CGT backed the protests, calling for higher wages and pensions, lower prices and protection of public services.

President Emmanuel Macron had appealed for calm ahead of the marches, warning that protest rights must be balanced with responsibility. But violence erupted in several cities. Riot police unleashed tear gas and water cannons, and at least 400 people were detained across France, according to early reports.

The AFP reported looting in Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges, Lille, Toulouse and Strasbourg, where supermarkets, pharmacies, luxury boutiques and electronics stores were raided and vandalised. In Paris, people wearing hoods and masks threw fireworks, paving stones and other objects at officers in the Place de la République.

In Lyon, a tourist office was razed to the ground after being set ablaze, and in Marseille a town hall was stormed and barricades set alight. Footage appeared to show demonstrators attacking a bank. Videos also showed the bell tower of the city hall in Limoges collapsing after protesters broke in and set fire to the ground floor.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said late Saturday that authorities had arrested 1,200 people across the country and that at least 150 police officers had been injured. “Peaceful demonstrations have their rightful place in our Republic. Arson, looting, and attacks have no place whatsoever,” he wrote on X.

Police confirmed that 150 protesters were detained in Paris, primarily for carrying weapons or prohibited protective gear. The Interior Ministry reported a growing number of violent incidents including assaults on officers, looting and damage to public buildings, with at least 272 arrests nationwide earlier in the day.

The unrest was not confined to France. Hundreds of thousands of Europeans took to the streets in separate, uncoordinated demonstrations in Belgium, Italy and Portugal to protest the rising cost of living. In Milan and Bologna, Italian police reported that protesters threw stones and clashed with officers alongside peaceful rallies, with several injuries and arrests.

Alberto Alemanno, a professor at HEC Paris, said the protests would inevitably be at the centre of the political conversation. “All these protests, all these mobilisations, are going to be at the centre of the political conversation,” he said.

What happens next

As the government assesses the damage and the number of arrests continues to rise, attention turns to how President Macron will address the cost-of-living crisis and whether further demonstrations are planned. The CGT union has vowed to keep pushing for higher wages and better public services.