France Detains 1,800 After Unrest As Damage Estimated At Hundreds Of Millions Of Euros

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The Élysée Palace said this, according to Ukrinform, citing Le Figaro.

Around midnight the previous day, the Prime Minister warned of the serious consequences of the riots for the country and said he had instructed ministers to support business owners whose businesses had been affected.

“It cannot be that a minority smashes everything while the same people always end up paying,” he said, calling for an expedited review of a bill that would make those responsible for the destruction liable for the damages.

According to updated figures from the Interior Ministry, 1,800 people were detained across the country following Saturday's protests.

“More than 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters have so far been injured during this unrest. Unfortunately, these figures on those affected are only preliminary. The material damage is significant. Demonstrations are a fundamental right. Rioting through coordinated acts of violence is not,” Nunez wrote on X.

He again blamed far-left groups for the organized violence and said investigations were ongoing to identify those involved in the attacks and looting.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Bompard, President of the Trade and Distribution Federation and CEO of Carrefour, estimated that around 1,500 retail establishments had been directly affected, while the total damage to French retail amounted to several hundred million euros. He called for insurance compensation procedures to be expedited.

Stores were looted and damaged in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes and Nice, among other cities. Supermarkets, clothing stores, sports retailers, luxury goods stores and mobile phone shops were damaged.

The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon asked Prime Minister Lecornu to meet with them at the beginning of the week due to the scale of the destruction and the seriousness of the situation. They want to establish how the events unfolded and what led to such consequences.

Public buildings also sustained significant damage. In Limoges, a fire destroyed a large part of the historic city hall.

In Saint-Étienne, a 17-year-old protester suffered a severe hand injury after a police grenade exploded. The investigation was assigned to the General Inspectorate of the National Police.

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As reported, mass protests took place in France on October 17 over the rising cost of living, higher fuel prices and problems in education and public services. According to the Interior Ministry, 550,000 people took part, while organizers put the figure at 800,000. Most participants protested peacefully, but in several cities, some groups resorted to violence, arson and looting.

Photo: Franceinfo video screenshot

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