France Records Mass Arrests as Yellow Vest Protests Turn Violent
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Sunday that more than 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters had been injured during the unrest, adding that the figures remained provisional and investigations were continuing to identify those responsible. Several hundred businesses also suffered substantial damage.
Alexandre Bompard, head of the Federation of Commerce and Distribution and chief executive of Carrefour, said approximately 1,500 retailers had been affected. He estimated the financial losses at “hundreds of millions of euros.”
The demonstrations on Saturday attracted an estimated 550,000 participants across France, including 110,000 in Paris, according to official figures. Organizers, however, placed nationwide attendance at approximately 800,000.
The protests brought together Yellow Vest groups, labor unions, students and farmers, united by concerns over living costs and other economic pressures. Although the main march in Paris proceeded without major disturbances, violent incidents broke out around demonstrations in several other cities.
A demonstrator died after collapsing on Boulevard Magenta in Paris, with police reporting that the person had suffered cardiorespiratory arrest.
In a separate incident in Saint-Etienne, a 17-year-old reportedly lost a hand after being struck by a police grenade, according to reports.
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