Prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said 1,200 people were arrested and 150 police officers hurt after Saturday's nationwide marches turned violent.
The big picture: Protests that began last month over teacher absences at schools in the poor northern suburbs of Paris have widened into a national movement against inequality, weak public spending and falling standards.
- The interior ministry counted 550,000 marchers across more than 80 marches. The CGT labour union, which backed the protests, put the turnout at 800,000.
Zoom in: In Limoges, masked protesters set the town hall alight and the roof collapsed into the lower floors. Local prefect Maurice Barate said two-thirds of the exterior of the 143-year-old building had already disappeared, calling the damage a catastrophe for heritage.
- Interior minister Laurent Nunez blamed casseurs for hijacking the official march: "opportunistic delinquents who had seen a chance to pillage and loot ... we will find them and deal with them firmly."
Between the lines: Nunez said the state has no plan to declare a state of emergency. Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said whole streets in the capital had been devastated, and the police watchdog is investigating at least two dozen allegations of police violence.
What they're saying: "We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh, because the price of fuel is too high," said a 19-year-old Paris protester who gave her name as Lola.
Why it matters: About 45% of French people say they are worried about rising living costs, per a 2,000-person survey this month, and Macron enters the final stretch of his presidency with a fragmented parliament and a presidential campaign already under way.
