France arrests 1,000 as protests over living costs and fuel prices turn violent

French authorities arrested around 1,000 people as protests over living costs and fuel prices turned violent, with clashes erupting between demonstrators and police across the country on Saturday. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the arrest tally could rise, as police used tear gas and water cannons in cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Nantes. The ministry reported 410,000 participants nationwide, while the CGT union estimated 800,000, with Paris seeing 110,000 protesters per police and 250,000 per union figures. Authorities deployed 70,000 officers to prevent a repeat of last week's riots, which led to over 2,700 arrests. Clashes spread to Grenoble, Nice, Toulon, and Bordeaux, with masked groups committing vandalism and attacking police, while a BBC reporter was struck by a baton during coverage.