Number of arrests in France protests rises to 1,800; Macron to address nation

Police have arrested at least 1,800 people across France after violent groups clashed with officers and looted shops during nationwide demonstrations that have drawn hundreds of thousands denouncing rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

Authorities say masked groups yesterday set fires and attacked public buildings, including city halls, in several cities.

In Limoges, a city in central France, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse. Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate tells LCI television that the fire was deliberately set and nearly destroyed the building. The fire was under control as of today.

French President Emmanuel Macron will hold an emergency meeting with top government officials this afternoon, before addressing the nation at 8 p.m., according to his office.

“The right to protest is a fundamental right. Deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence is not,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez writes on X, pointing to the looting of hundreds of businesses in many cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux.

About 550,000 people took part in protests across France, according to authorities, while organizers count about 800,000. More than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured, Nuñez says.

One person died of a heart attack, Paris police say in a statement, without providing details. Paris prosecutors’ office says it is investigating.