France counts cost of worst unrest in years as Macron urges calm

French President Emmanuel Macron appealed for calm on Sunday after nationwide protests over high prices and declining public services erupted into some of the worst unrest in years, with thousands arrested and widespread looting and damage. Police made 2,400 arrests and nearly 1,000 officers were injured, while one protester died of cardiac arrest in Paris. Violent groups clashed with police, torched a town hall in Limoges, and looted shops in cities across France, prompting a massive clean-up operation. Macron stopped short of declaring a state of emergency but said the government would allow prefects to ban protests to protect public buildings. More than half a million people joined peaceful marches, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen and hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon also responding to the crisis.