Nearly 1,000 detained in France during cost-of-living protests

French police detained nearly 1,000 people on Saturday evening as protests against the high cost of living turned violent in several cities, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. It was the second weekend in a row that such demonstrations took place in the country.

The minister said police faced an extremely high level of violence from far-left extremists. Special police units used tear gas against protesters in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes. Two people were seriously injured during the unrest.

Stronger security measures

The previous weekend's protests descended into mass disorder: public buildings were vandalised, hundreds of shops were looted and 2,700 people were detained. As a result, authorities deployed 70,000 police officers to maintain order on Saturday.

Nuñez said the outcome was better this time than a week earlier. In his view, this was helped by more officers on the streets, faster responses, more checks before the demonstrations and better protection of businesses.

Turnout

According to official estimates, 410,000 people took part in demonstrations across France. The CGT trade union, which organised the protests, claims the figure was 800,000. In Paris, between 110,000 and 250,000 people took to the streets, depending on the estimate.