Macron to Address France After Riots Trigger 2,000 Arrests and Injure 600 Police
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Oct 18
Macron to Address France After Riots Trigger 2,000 Arrests and Injure 600 Police
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Oct 18
Summary
More than 2,000 people were arrested and over 600 police officers injured after Saturday protests over living costs and public services erupted into France's worst unrest in years.
More than 500,000 people joined marches nationwide, but violent groups torched buildings, looted shops and attacked officers; one protester died in Paris after a cardiac arrest.
Limoges' 143-year-old town hall was largely destroyed in an arson attack, and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said several hundred shops were damaged across the country.
Macron is due to address the nation at 1800 GMT as the violence piles pressure on his government ahead of next year's presidential election.
The protests began last month over school conditions and teacher shortages, then widened into a broader revolt against inequality, spending cuts and rising prices.