France rocked by violent protests as 1,200 arrested in cost-of-living unrest

Violent protests over the cost of living swept across France on Saturday, with 1,200 people arrested and 150 police officers injured, according to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. Demonstrators looted shops and set fire to the historic town hall in Limoges. Lecornu accused the left-wing party La France Insoumise of siding with rioters and instructed prosecutors to seek pre-trial detention for those arrested. In Paris, 855 detentions occurred as protesters targeted government buildings, while mayors of Lyon, Marseille, and Paris requested a meeting with the prime minister. The protests began as student demonstrations over education conditions and expanded to include "yellow vest" activists and public workers. Attendance reached 550,000 per the government, or 800,000 per organizers, far exceeding the 150,000 expected. The Limoges town hall, built between 1876 and 1883, was largely destroyed.