French police arrested at least 1,800 people across the country on Saturday as nationwide protests spiraled into fires, looting and clashes with officers, only eight days before the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers are set to play the first NFL game in France.
The demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands of people who were speaking out against higher living costs and poor conditions in schools, but authorities said masked groups turned parts of the day into something else entirely. Public buildings were targeted in several cities, including city halls, while shops were looted in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, Limoges and elsewhere.
In Paris, police said 855 people were arrested in the capital region alone. Authorities estimated roughly 550,000 people took part in protests nationwide, while organizers put the figure at about 800,000. Laurent Nuñez said more than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured.
“The right to protest is a fundamental right. Deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence is not,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez wrote on X, pointing to the lootings of hundreds of businesses in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, Limoges and other cities.
Nuñez and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu blamed some of the unrest on “radical far-left groups” and said others later joined in to loot.
The fallout was visible Sunday around Place de la République in Paris, where burned vehicles, broken glass, dislodged cobblestones and shattered storefronts were left behind. Police said looting and damage also hit other tourist and shopping areas in the city center. They added that groups of several hundred to more than 1,000 people took part in unauthorized marches across central Paris on Saturday.
“By late afternoon, a new phase began with the arrival of large numbers of people whose sole aim was to steal and loot, taking advantage of the unrest,” police said.
One person died of a heart attack, Paris police said in a statement, without giving more details. The Paris prosecutors’ office said it is investigating.
In Limoges, flames tore through the 19th-century City Hall and caused its roof to collapse. Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate told LCI television that the fire was deliberately set and nearly destroyed the building. The fire was under control Sunday.
Authorities said masked groups also set fires and attacked public buildings, including city halls, in other French cities. In Marseille, some protesters briefly entered the lobby of City Hall, and a group wearing hoods and masks damaged a police station. In Lyon, a fire broke out inside a tourist office.
French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting with top government officials Sunday afternoon before addressing the nation at 8 p.m., according to his office.
The unrest landed just as the NFL prepares for its first regular-season game in Paris at Stade de France on Oct. 25.
The league did not directly address Saturday’s violence on Sunday, but in a statement last Wednesday said, “We’re excited for the first-ever regular season game in Paris, and preparations continue as scheduled for NFL events and the game at Stade de France on Oct. 25.
“As we do for every NFL game, including our international games, we work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters. We look forward to welcoming fans to Paris later this month.”
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