More than 1,800 people have been arrested following protests and widespread disorder across France, with over 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters reported injured, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has said.
Nunez announced the figures in a post on X, condemning the violence and extensive damage to businesses and public buildings during demonstrations on Saturday, October 17.
He said shops had been damaged and looted in several cities, including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice and Limoges.
The minister accused thousands of far-left protesters of engaging in violence and attacking public institutions, adding that groups involved in looting joined the unrest in several locations.
He said investigations had begun to identify those responsible for the destruction and ensure they face justice.
Nunez stressed that while peaceful protest was a fundamental right, coordinated violence, attacks on security personnel, damage to public property and the looting of businesses could not be justified.
He also expressed support for police officers, gendarmes and firefighters who responded to the disturbances, saying they had worked under difficult conditions across the country.
According to the minister, the unrest began in several cities around midday, while demonstrations in Marseille started earlier in the morning. Violence continued into the night in some areas.
The reported injury figure remains provisional, Nunez said, warning that the full scale of the damage was still being assessed. Hundreds of business owners were among those affected by the destruction.
He insisted that the French government would not give in to groups seeking to create disorder through violence.
