Interior Minister Laurent Nunez disclosed the arrest figure in a statement on X on Sunday, saying investigations were under way to identify those responsible and ensure they faced justice.
“Around 1,800 people have been arrested and now investigations are under way to identify the perpetrators of these acts so they can be brought to justice,” Nunez said.
The French capital recorded 855 arrests, which police described as a record for the protests. By Sunday, several streets were littered with the charred remains of barricades constructed from bicycles, rubbish bins and other materials, while burnt-out vehicles and smashed shop windows were visible in affected areas.
Paris deputy mayor Lamia El Aaraje said the scale of the violence was unprecedented in her experience.
“The capital experienced a level of violence that we have never, I believe, seen before,” she said.
Other major cities, including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Strasbourg, also reported widespread looting. Groups of masked youths targeted shops, breaking into premises and removing goods from shelves.
In Limoges, a fire destroyed the city’s 19th-century town hall. The local prefect, Maurice Barate, told LCI television that the blaze had been deliberately started by what he described as “a wild horde”. Firefighters brought the blaze under control in the early hours of Sunday.
The destruction prompted sharp exchanges among political figures, with competing accusations over who was responsible for the violence and whether political rhetoric had contributed to the unrest.
Macron’s centrist government and far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen blamed groups they described as the “ultra-left” for the violence.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, a far-left presidential candidate who had prominently supported the demonstrations, appealed to protesters late on Saturday to refrain from looting, describing the practice as contrary to the movement’s methods.
El Aaraje, a Socialist deputy mayor of Paris, accused Le Pen’s National Rally party of escalating tensions surrounding the protests to advance its political ambitions.
She described the party’s approach as that of a “pyromaniac firefighter”, suggesting it was contributing to the tensions while presenting itself as a solution to the resulting disorder.
The unrest also drew a response from United States Vice-President JD Vance, who linked the violence to immigration and integration in a post on X.
“Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion. They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility,” Vance said.
His comments introduced immigration into the political debate surrounding the demonstrations, whose stated grievances centred on the cost of living.
In Paris, the prosecutor’s office said more than 500 people remained in custody following arrests that continued throughout the night into Sunday.
Those detained were being investigated on suspicion of offences including receiving stolen goods, conspiracy to commit violence and vandalism.
Authorities in Lyon reported that 160 people were in custody, while Nunez said approximately 500 police officers, firefighters and paramedics had been injured. He cautioned that the figure was provisional.
The protests also resulted in serious injuries among demonstrators. In the southern city of Saint-Etienne, a 17-year-old boy lost his right hand after a crowd-control grenade exploded.
Police deployed tear gas and water cannon as some protesters threw projectiles and set off fireworks during confrontations with security personnel.
The violence occurred alongside nationwide demonstrations against rising living costs. France’s Interior Ministry estimated that 550,000 people participated, while the CGT trade union put the turnout at 800,000.
The difference between the two figures reflected the contrasting estimates provided by the authorities and the union.
The demonstrations were organised under the banner of “yellow and youth” protests, following a call from France’s Yellow Vest movement, which became prominent eight years ago during protests against planned fuel tax increases under Macron’s government.
The latest mobilisation was driven primarily by concerns about the rising cost of living, with demonstrators protesting the pressure of inflation on household budgets.
The source report linked some of the price pressures to the war in the Middle East, which it said had contributed to rising inflation in Europe and elsewhere.
However, the violence that accompanied Saturday’s demonstrations drew a distinction between peaceful protesters and groups involved in looting, arson and clashes with police.
Mujtaba Rahman, an analyst at the Eurasia Group think tank, argued in a post on X that the destruction did not represent the peaceful demonstrations against high oil prices and failing schools.
He attributed the violence to a fringe of the ultra-left and described the looting as the work of opportunistic gangs from poorer suburbs. He also argued that the scenes could benefit Le Pen politically.
During and after the demonstrations, groups of youths moved through city streets, confronting police at intervals, setting fires and attacking closed shops to steal merchandise.
The scale of the destruction has added to the political pressure surrounding Macron’s final months in office, with the country facing a period of heightened debate over economic hardship, public order and the direction of its political leadership.
While the nationwide protests were driven by dissatisfaction with living costs, the clashes and looting have shifted attention towards policing, criminal accountability and the role of political groups in shaping public discontent.
The authorities have pledged to identify those responsible for the violence and pursue investigations into the offences committed.
With thousands of arrests reported and damage recorded across several major cities, the immediate challenge for the French government is to restore order while addressing the economic concerns that brought demonstrators onto the streets.
The events have also exposed divisions among political parties over the causes of the unrest, with the government and the far right blaming radical left-wing groups, while opponents of Le Pen have accused her party of exploiting the tensions.
As investigations continue, the distinction between peaceful protest and criminal acts is likely to remain central to the national debate over the demonstrations and their wider political consequences.
