France arrests 1,800 after violent protests and looting across the country Police arrested at least 1,800 people across France after nationwide demonstrations over high living costs and school conditions turned violent, with looting, arson and clashes injuring more than 500 officers and firefighters. Police arrested at least 1,800 people across France after violent groups clashed with officers and looted shops during nationwide demonstrations over the high cost of living and poor conditions in schools. About 550,000 people took part in the protests across the country, according to authorities, while organizers counted about 800,000 participants. The demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands who denounced rising living costs and school conditions. The protests took place on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, and involved high school students, Yellow Vest activists and other groups. Authorities said masked groups set fires and attacked public buildings, including city halls, in several cities.President Macron Addresses Nation After City Hall FireIn Limoges, a city in central France, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse. Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate told LCI television that the fire was deliberately set and nearly destroyed the building. The fire was under control by Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron will hold an emergency meeting with top government officials on Sunday afternoon before addressing the nation at 8 p.m., according to his office.Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez wrote on X that the right to protest is a fundamental right, but deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence is not. He pointed to the looting of hundreds of businesses in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, Limoges and other cities. Nuñez and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu attributed some of the violence to radical far-left groups and said others later joined to loot.Interior Minister Condemns Violence Amid Mass ArrestsParis police said Sunday that 855 people were arrested in the French capital region alone. More than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured, Nuñez said. One person died of a heart attack, Paris police said in a statement, without providing details. The Paris prosecutors office said it was investigating.Around Paris Place de la République on Sunday morning, dislodged cobblestones, shattered storefronts and broken glass marked the aftermath of the events. Looting and damage were reported around the square and in some other tourist and shopping areas in the city center. Police said groups numbering from several hundred to more than 1,000 people formed unauthorized marches across central Paris on Saturday.By late afternoon, a new phase began with the arrival of large numbers of people whose sole aim was to steal and loot, taking advantage of the unrest, police said. The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon, the country three largest cities, requested a meeting with the prime minister in the coming days given the extent of the damage and the seriousness of the situation.Mayors Of Major Cities Request Emergency Meeting With Prime MinisterIn the southern port city of Marseille, some protesters briefly forced their way into the lobby of City Hall and a group of people wearing hoods and masks damaged a police station. In Lyon, a fire broke out inside a tourist office. Forensic officers examined the burnt Lyon Office de Tourisme on Sunday, a day after the rioting and looting. Protests also took place in Lille, northern France, where members of the anti-criminality police faced demonstrators.In Paris, protesters broke windows of a Picard shop during the demonstration against the high cost of living.