France finally deploying Police to contain violence

PARIS—Clashes broke out at the end of protest marches in Paris, Marseille, and a dozen other French cities on Saturday

Police made nearly 1,000 arrests

The looting and destruction that marked the previous weekend were largely contained after the government deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes. In Paris, masked individuals pelted police with projectiles and fireworks near the end point of the march, and officers responded with tear gas, stun grenades, and water cannons.

In Marseille, protesters set fire to garbage bins and hurled rocks and bottles at security forces, and several stores, including two jewelry shops, were ransacked, police said.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told reporters on Saturday evening that the day “bears no comparison with last week,” when rioters looted thousands of shops across the country. He nonetheless pointed to a high level of violence in most of the marches.

“In almost every march we saw the formation of these high-risk groups. They broke away from the main body and sought to commit acts of violence,” Nuñez said, blaming far-left activists and criminal gangs.

Nearly 1,000 people had been arrested by Saturday evening, a figure he expected to rise significantly.

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