1,200 Arrested as Cost-of-Living Protests Devolve Into Riots, Leaving France in Shock

Crowd estimates differ

The demonstrations over the cost of living drew large crowds across France on Saturday. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 110,000 people protested in Paris and 550,000 nationwide. The Confédération Générale du Travail, the country’s largest trade union and a supporter of the demonstrations, put the national turnout higher, at nearly 800,000. The two estimates differed substantially.

Looting hits businesses

Looting began around Place de la République in Paris, where young people broke shop windows and took merchandise, the AFP reported. Grocery chains named in the reports included Franprix, Monoprix, Picard and Carrefour City.

In the 11th arrondissement, people were seen leaving a Franprix with bags containing juice, alcohol and cakes, according to AFP. Cédric, a shopkeeper near the square, told RTL he had barricaded himself inside his store to protect his goods.

Violence spreads, arrests follow

AFP reported looting in Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges, Lille, Toulouse and Strasbourg. Supermarkets, pharmacies, luxury boutiques and electronics shops were among the businesses raided or vandalized, and photos showed luxury outlets including Galeries Lafayette being looted.

A report about Limoges said its 140-year-old town hall caught fire during the protests; accompanying text also described the building as having collapsed. Lacoste and Aigle executive Guibert wrote that looting threatened jobs and years of work, as well as damaging storefronts.

Late Saturday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said authorities had arrested 1,200 people across France. He wrote that peaceful demonstrations belonged in the Republic, but that arson, looting and attacks did not.