France faced weekend violence as protests turned chaotic across the country. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported over 1,000 arrests and 53 police officers injured.
Video evidence from Marseille revealed extensive looting of a Rolex store with estimated losses of €3 million. A Louis Vuitton outlet in Bordeaux suffered €1.25 million in damages, totaling €4.25 million across two locations.
The demonstrations, organized by the C.G.T. labor union and initially described as peaceful, escalated into violent clashes as night fell. In Paris, demonstrators hurled bottles and rocks at police who deployed tear gas and water cannons. Clashes also erupted near Porte d’Aix in Marseille, where rioters constructed barricades using metal sheets.
French authorities deployed approximately 70,000 officers to manage the unrest. A historic town hall in Limoges was destroyed by far-left protesters. French President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged that police were completely unprepared for the riots.