Paris police clash with protesters and looters for second day

French police clashed with protesters and looters for a second day in Paris on Sunday, following nationwide cost-of-living demonstrations that led to 2,000 arrests and widespread property damage. The unrest has triggered political recriminations six months before the presidential election. Authorities fired tear gas and stun grenades at several hundred people in Republique square after social media calls for an unauthorized gathering, with looting of a clothing store and burning bikes reported. President Emmanuel Macron was set to address the nation Sunday evening, vowing prosecution for vandalism, as far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon traded blame. The violence, which included a deliberately set fire at Limoges' 19th-century town hall and looting in multiple cities, damaged about 1,500 businesses with losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Around 500 police and emergency workers were injured, while roughly 550,000 to 800,000 people participated in the protests, which followed weeks of student demonstrations over school conditions.