France protests: 1,200 arrested, 150 police injured; fire at historic Limoges town hall contained

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said police arrested 1200 protesters on Saturday while 150 police personnel were injured as demonstrations over the rising cost of living turned violent across the country news agency ANI reported citing France 24The studentled protests which began with demonstrations against budget cuts in education and what protesters described as ldquodeplorablerdquo school conditions turned violent amid wider unrest in parts of Europe over rising inflation Paris apregraves les violences de samedi pregraves de 1000 agents de propreteacute ont eacuteteacute mobiliseacutes avant laube pour nettoyer et remettre en eacutetat les rues de la capitale et ont eacuteteacute rejoints spontaneacutement par des riverains indique dimanche la mairie de Paris httpstcoPcFJKXNhdomdash Agence FrancePresse afpfr October 18 2026According to France 24 police in Paris said 855 people were detained during the demonstrations describing the figure as a ldquorecordrdquoDeputy Mayor of Paris Lamia El Aaraje stated that the capital had witnessed ldquoa level of violence that I believe we had never seen beforerdquoCiting a local media channel France 24 reported that the massive fire at the 143yearold Limoges town hall had been containedEarlier French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France 24 that 55 lakh people had participated in the protests against declining purchasing power including 110 lakh demonstrators in the capital Police had arrested 400 protesters on vandalism charges he saidMacron vows action against protesters involved in vandalism lootingMeanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron adopted a firm stance against violence amid the ongoing protests driven primarily by students who have taken part in demonstrations over the past few weeks to denounce what they describe as ldquodeplorablerdquo school conditions and excessive police forceIn a post on X Macron vowed strict action against protesters involved in vandalism and looting expressing solidarity against ldquosowers of chaosrdquoAucune place pour la violence dans notre Reacutepublique Ceux qui ont casseacute attaqueacute les preacutefectures comme les commerces pilleacute jusqursquoagrave nos mairies seront poursuivis et punis Aux forces de lrsquoordre garantes du droit agrave manifester je dis le soutien de la Nation Nous ferons tous bloc face aux semeurs de chaos qui ne cherchent qursquoagrave abattre nos institutions et empecircchent ceux qui expriment pacifiquement leurs revendications de le fairemdash Emmanuel Macron EmmanuelMacron October 17 2026ldquoNo room for violence in our Republic Those who have broken attacked the prefectures as well as businesses looted even our town halls will be prosecuted and punished To the law enforcement forces guarantors of the right to demonstrate I express the support of the Nation We will all stand united against the sowers of chaos who seek only to bring down our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing sordquo he wroteFrench media also reported that former lsquoYellow Vestrsquo movement figures were expected to join the protests in support of highschool students The lsquoYellow Vestrsquo movement began in France in 2018 bringing thousands of people onto the streets to protest against rising fuel prices and economic inequalityThe protests were met with police firing rubber bullets injuring more than 2500 protesters and 1800 police personnel in clashesBelgium and Italy also witnessed clashes between police and protestersWith ANI and AFP inputs