France faces one of its most serious waves of urban unrest in decades, as demonstrations over soaring living costs, deteriorating public services and worsening school conditions have escalated into widespread rioting, arson and looting, leaving more than 1,200 people arrested and at least 150 police officers injured.

Although hundreds of thousands of people took part in demonstrations across the country, much of the violence was attributed to groups that attacked police, vandalized public buildings and looted commercial establishments, turning a nationwide protest movement into a major security crisis for President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

The scale of the destruction revived memories of France’s previous waves of unrest, particularly the 2005 suburban riots and the 2023 violence that followed the fatal police shooting of teenager Nahel Merzouk.

France’s Senate subsequently concluded that the 2023 riots had surpassed those of 2005 in several measures of intensity and destruction, underscoring the severity of the country’s recurring episodes of urban violence.

The latest unrest was particularly severe in Limoges, where a fire engulfed the historic city hall, a 143-year-old building whose roof collapsed onto lower floors, according to local authorities.

In Marseille, masked protesters broke into city hall and defaced the building with graffiti, while in Lyon, the city’s tourist office was set ablaze.

In Paris, rioters attempted to break into the Galeries Lafayette department store, looted a Lacoste boutique and an SFR mobile phone shop, damaged banks and set objects, including cars, on fire.

Police fired tear gas as officers confronted predominantly young protesters, many wearing black clothing, masks and goggles.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu condemned the violence, blaming the “ultra-left” and criminal groups for exploiting the demonstrations ahead of next year’s presidential election.

“To those who clearly want to use this violence as a ‘warm-up’ before the presidential election, I say clearly: We will not let ourselves be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence,” he wrote on X.

Macron also vowed to prosecute those responsible for the attacks.

“We will all stand united against the sowers of chaos, who ⁠only seek to undermine our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so,” he wrote on X.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said approximately 550,000 people had participated in demonstrations nationwide, while the CGT trade union estimated attendance at 800,000.

Around 1,200 people had been arrested, Lecornu said, as authorities reported that more than 150 police officers had been injured.

The violence also raised renewed questions about police tactics, following previous demonstrations in which protesters suffered serious injuries from crowd-control weapons.

Nunez confirmed that one person had lost a hand during Saturday’s clashes, with French media reporting that the individual had attempted to pick up a stun grenade.

The police watchdog is investigating at least two dozen allegations of police violence, including incidents involving demonstrators injured during earlier student protests.

The unrest began last month at high schools in working-class northern suburbs of Paris, where students protested teacher shortages and deteriorating facilities before the movement expanded to encompass broader grievances over inequality, public spending and living standards.

“We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh, because the price of fuel is too high, because high school pupils are being violently attacked and hurt all over the country just for trying to protest and ask for more teachers and decent learning conditions,” said Lola, a 19-year-old protester in Paris.

The demonstrations unfolded as Macron approached the final stretch of his presidency amid mounting economic pressure, political fragmentation and concerns over France’s public finances.

Similar protests over living costs and public services also took place in Belgium, Portugal and Italy, while demonstrations against government corruption, unemployment and education standards continued in Albania.

The latest violence has intensified pressure on the French government to address the grievances driving the demonstrations while restoring public order, as the country confronts another major episode of social unrest ahead of a pivotal election.