Thousands of protesters arrested in France

 

TT-AFP

 

Published 00:14 | Updated 00:32

 

Destruction in Paris during Saturday’s protests. Photo: Thibault Camus/AP/TT

1,200 people have been arrested during today’s widespread protests in France, according to a statement made by Sébastien Lecornu late Saturday evening.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered across the country to express their discontent with the authorities and their standard of living.

Although the protest marches remained largely peaceful, the situation escalated in several locations, resulting in violence and unrest. The police responded with measures including the use of tear gas and stun grenades.

A total of 150 police officers were injured, according to Sébastien Lecornu. Meanwhile, protesters have reported instances of brutality and excessive force by police attempting to contain the demonstrations.

According to one of the organizers, the trade union CGT, at least 800,000 people took part in the demonstrations. However, figures provided by the union often differ significantly from the French police’s estimates; according to the Ministry of the Interior, 550,000 people participated.