France is assessing the damage caused by widespread violence and looting after protests left streets littered with burnt vehicles, shattered shopfronts and debris, prompting more than 1,800 arrests nationwide.
“It’s like we had a war,” Mehmet Ozeden, a 78-year-old resident of central Paris, told AFP as he surveyed the remains of street barricades and other damage.
The unrest has intensified pressure on French President Emmanuel Macron, who is approaching the final months of his tenure ahead of elections to choose his successor in approximately six months. The violence follows weeks of student demonstrations, some of which had also turned confrontational.
Macron was scheduled to address the nation at 1800 GMT on Sunday after holding discussions with key ministers.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said authorities had arrested more than 1,800 people over the protests and looting. He added that investigations were underway to identify those responsible and ensure they face legal action.
In Paris, 557 people were reportedly in custody following what officials described as a record number of arrests. Burnt-out cars, damaged businesses and charred debris were visible across several parts of the capital.
Paris Deputy Mayor Lamia El Aaraje said the city had experienced an unprecedented level of violence.
Hundreds of shops were looted in Paris and other major cities, including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Strasbourg, amid demonstrations over the rising cost of living.
One person died during the main march in Paris, although officials said the death was health-related and not connected to the violence.
According to the Retail and Trade Federation, approximately 1,500 businesses sustained damage, with financial losses estimated at hundreds of millions of euros.
Paris resident Anita Gras, who was jogging through streets covered in debris, said she had witnessed young men looting a sports footwear store. She added that the group remained in the area until around 1am, leaving residents fearful of further violence.
Another resident, 57-year-old Cecile Rogue, described the scenes as frightening, saying groups of young people had looted shops and destroyed property with apparent impunity.
The city of Limoges also suffered significant damage when its 19th-century town hall was destroyed by fire. Local prefect Maurice Barate told French news channel LCI that the blaze had been deliberately started and was brought under control only early Sunday.
In Lyon, Mayor Gregory Doucet condemned the disorder, describing the chaos that gripped the city for several hours as appalling. A tourist office in the city centre was also set ablaze amid clashes and looting.
The violence has triggered a political dispute, with the government and far-right leader Marine Le Pen blaming far-left groups for the unrest. Meanwhile, far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon accused the authorities of escalating tensions.
El Aaraje, a Socialist deputy mayor of Paris, accused Le Pen’s party of exploiting the unrest to advance its political ambitions.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu was scheduled to chair an emergency ministerial meeting at 0800 GMT on Monday. Discussions were expected to focus on insurance claims, financial assistance for affected businesses and the prosecution of those involved in the violence.
The destruction occurred alongside nationwide demonstrations that attracted hundreds of thousands of participants.
France’s Interior Ministry estimated that approximately 550,000 people took part in Saturday’s protests, while the CGT trade union put the figure at 800,000.
In Paris, tourists were seen fleeing through streets filled with tear gas and demonstrators, with some carrying their suitcases as they sought to leave affected areas.
Danish tourist Soren Petersen described the destruction as distressing, saying the demonstrations had gone far beyond the boundaries of ordinary protests. American visitor Jill Burns also said the scenes had frightened her.
The interior minister reported that around 500 police officers, firefighters and paramedics were injured during the unrest.
In the southern city of Saint-Etienne, a 17-year-old boy reportedly lost his right hand after a crowd-control grenade exploded.
Mujtaba Rahman, an analyst at the Eurasia Group think tank, said on X that most demonstrations on Saturday had remained peaceful. He attributed the violence to a fringe of the far left and described the looting as the work of opportunistic groups from poorer suburbs.
Rahman added that the developments could politically benefit Marine Le Pen.
The demonstrations were called under the banner of the “yellow and youth” protests by France’s Yellow Vest movement, which staged major demonstrations against Macron’s government eight years ago over proposed fuel-tax increases.
The latest unrest has centred primarily on the rising cost of living, with the conflict in the Middle East contributing to inflationary pressures across Europe and other regions.
US President Donald Trump has attributed the unrest in France to immigration, urging the country to strengthen border controls and tighten its migration policies.
“France is burning!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, arguing that immigration from culturally different backgrounds had destabilised the country.
He called on French authorities to close their borders and regain control before the situation deteriorated further.
US Vice President JD Vance also criticised European immigration policies in a post on X, arguing that Western liberal governments had prioritised diversity and compassion without adequately addressing integration and cultural compatibility.
Vance expressed concern over the destruction of French landmarks and urged the country to prevent further damage.
The vice president, widely viewed as a potential Republican presidential contender in 2028, also linked the debate to the upcoming US congressional midterm elections scheduled for November 3, in which Republicans face the prospect of electoral setbacks.
