Nearly a thousand people detained during protests in France — Interia

Nearly a thousand people were detained in France during demonstrations held across the country. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated this at a briefing, clarifying that the final number of detainees may rise, Interia reports.

According to the minister, 289 demonstrations were recorded across the country. He assessed that they generally passed peacefully, although at the end of the rally in Paris, groups Nuñez described as ultra-left attacked police officers. Later, the police prefecture reported the complete dispersal of the participants in the demonstration.

Incidents in French cities

Nuñez also reported two people who suffered serious injuries on Saturday — in Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand. Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan said there had been attempted looting in the city and urged residents to remain vigilant and assist the police. According to BFMTV, 18 people were detained in Marseille.

The French interior minister noted that the scale of looting was significantly smaller than a week earlier and that police had prevented a number of such attempts. He also stated that, thanks to law enforcement actions, there were no organized attacks on public buildings. In Orléans, where a convention of the far-right National Rally party and a counter-demonstration took place, no clashes occurred.

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Protests and detentions in Italy

Protests were also held in Italy. In Milan, more than 5,000 people, mostly young people, took part in a demonstration during which some protesters tried to break through police barriers. Some shops along the march route closed due to fears of clashes. Around 200 university and school students gathered near the Strehler Theatre with placards in solidarity with French youth.

Clashes occurred near the Colosseum in Rome when demonstrators changed their route and headed toward the Arch of Constantine. Before the protests began, police detained more than 40 young people with balaclavas and other items during preventive checks, which law enforcement assessed could indicate an intention to take part in unrest.

In Turin, protesters threw bottles and firecrackers at police officers, and law enforcement responded with batons and tear gas. In Bologna, participants chanted slogans against the police and threw firecrackers. In Naples, a protest against the high cost of living passed without clashes.