PARIS – France faced widespread destruction Sunday, 18 October, after protests against rising living costs degenerated into mass looting, clashes with police and arson attacks across the country.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said 1 200 people had been arrested and 150 police officers injured in what he described as violence of “extreme intensity”. Paris police reported detaining 855 people in the capital alone, calling it a “record figure”.

The unrest erupted Saturday 17 October on the sidelines of marches attended by between 550 000 and 800 000 people, according to government and union estimates. The demonstrations, organised by the Yellow Vest movement and labour unions, focused on inflation and the cost of living.

Emmanuel Gregoire, Paris Mayor, said some streets in the capital “have been devastated”. Gangs of youths looted dozens of shops, including supermarkets, luxury boutiques, pharmacies and electronics stores, in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges, Lille, Toulouse and Strasbourg.

AFP reporters observed organised looting in Paris, with masked groups disconnecting security cameras before smashing shop windows.

The 143-year-old town hall in Limoges was largely destroyed by fire after masked protesters broke in and set it ablaze. The roof collapsed during the blaze, which was later contained, according to Maurice Barate, prefect for the Haute-Vienne department. Town halls in Marseille and Lille were also vandalised.

Other targets included a police compound in Bordeaux and a tourist office in Lyon.

A 17-year-old boy lost his right hand to a crowd-control grenade in Saint-Etienne. Police deployed tear gas and water cannon against protesters who threw projectiles and aimed fireworks at officers.

The unrest comes six months before presidential elections scheduled for April and May to replace President Emmanuel Macron.

President Macron said those responsible for vandalism, attacks on administrative offices and looting “will be prosecuted and punished”.

US Vice President JD Vance commented on the violence via X, blaming immigration for the unrest. “Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion. They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility,” Vance wrote.

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen condemned “the rioters” and vowed to protect the French from violence. Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who had backed the demonstrations, urged protesters not to engage in looting, saying it was “contrary to our methods”.

The protests followed weeks of student demonstrations. Organisers cited inflation driven partly by the Middle East war as a primary concern.

Paris Deputy Mayor Lamia El Aaraje described “a level of violence that I believe we had never seen before” in the capital.

ALSO READ: French protesters clash with police during nationwide cost-of-living demonstrations