France arrests over 1,300 as protests stay calmer than feared

di.se (Swedish) —

More than 1,300 people were arrested and around 50 police officers injured during Saturday's protests in France, though the overall situation was calmer than feared. The interior ministry reported 53 security force members injured, with nearly 1,000 arrests already by 10 p.m. Saturday. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez blamed "black-clad extremists" for the violence, while police used tear gas, water cannons, and stun grenades. Two demonstrators were seriously injured. The CGT union estimated 800,000 protesters nationwide, while the interior ministry put the figure at just over 400,000. Despite scattered incidents like a broken window attempt in Paris, most areas showed little damage from the clashes.


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