French police make nearly 1,000 arrests as mostly peaceful protests turn violent in pockets

French authorities said nearly 1,000 people were arrested nationwide after a day of largely peaceful demonstrations was marred by outbreaks of violence in several cities, despite a massive deployment of police and gendarmes.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said late on the day of the protests that the number of arrests would likely rise further as officials continued compiling a full tally. He said "numerous looting attempts had been prevented," though he acknowledged that some property damage and looting had still occurred. He said the scale of this unrest was not comparable to violence recorded the previous week.

Security forces had been on high alert since October 17, when demonstrations in France were marked by serious rioting. Around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed over the weekend, with water cannon and armored vehicles held in reserve in case of unrest. In Paris, shop owners boarded up storefronts with plywood panels to protect windows from damage. Several cities imposed bans on gatherings in specific zones along with curfews.

According to the Interior Ministry, about 410,000 people took part in protests across the country, including roughly 110,000 in Paris. The CGT trade union federation put the national turnout far higher, at around 800,000 participants, according to media reports. The demonstrations, which began weeks ago among young people demanding better-funded schools, drew additional groups protesting the rising cost of living.

Nuñez said the marches themselves had gone smoothly, but he said that "risk groups" had formed on the fringes of nearly every gathering, following what he called a fairly "classic pattern." He said these groups broke away from the main processions and attempted to provoke clashes, primarily by targeting police and gendarmes. He said people dressed in black and wearing masks were part of these groups, and he placed particular blame on what he described as the "radical extreme left, the ultra-left." No individuals have been formally accused in connection with specific acts, and the claims made by the minister have not been tested in court.

In Paris, the march route, which had been shifted to the city's outskirts, remained calm for much of the day and drew participants of all ages. Tensions rose toward the end of the demonstration, with footage showing clouds of tear gas, fireworks set off in the crowd, and police deploying water cannon. Television broadcasts captured the sound of loud bangs, and a garbage bin was set on fire. The Paris police prefecture said on the social media platform X that rioters at the rear of the march had tried to force their way into a car dealership, but that rapid intervention by police had stopped them.

Similar scenes played out elsewhere. Footage from Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille showed tear gas and fires during the demonstrations. The Interior Ministry reported disturbances to public order in multiple cities. In Nantes, in northwestern France, the local prefecture said a shop had been damaged and looted, and that security forces had arrested six people in connection with the incident.

Nuñez said two people were seriously injured during intense clashes with police during operations in Clermont-Ferrand and Toulouse.

The Yellow Vest movement, meanwhile, has already called for new demonstrations next week. Organizers said on their website that a "third act" of protests is planned for Saturday, October 31, with calls for rallies and sit-ins outside the National Assembly and town halls across France. A separate protest event known as a "casserolade," in which participants bang pots and pans to make noise, is also planned for Friday.