A protester lost his hand after a grenade he had picked up exploded during demonstrations in Saint-Étienne on Saturday, French media reported, as disturbing footage circulated on social media.
According to preliminary reports, the protester had picked up a police grenade, which subsequently exploded.
Meanwhile, dozens of people were reportedly arrested in the city of Nice for looting shops, damaging public property, or throwing objects at police officers, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture announced.
Around 3,500 protesters marched through the streets of Nice, according to the prefecture, which described them as “distinct, highly mobile and hostile groups, dressed in black and wearing masks.”
On the iconic Promenade des Anglais, riot police confronted groups armed with stones taken from the beach. The city’s video surveillance centre, which monitors the entire network of security cameras across Nice, was also targeted.
The prefecture further reported that groups hostile to the police attacked an unoccupied municipal police vehicle, smashing its windows. Several businesses and a motorcycle showroom were also looted.
More than 300 protesters gathered late on Saturday afternoon in the lower section of the Champs-Élysées in Paris, an area where demonstrations are prohibited because of its proximity to government centres.
Some of the protesters, most of whom were wearing masks, managed to place construction barriers across several lanes of the famous boulevard. Law enforcement officers responded by firing tear gas.
Paris Deputy Mayor condemned the “acts of destruction,” emphasizing that the “overwhelming majority” of protesters wanted to “march peacefully.”
“These acts of destruction distract from the demands of secondary school students,” who had taken to the streets alongside university students, the “Yellow Vests,” and various other activists, “and damage the image of their movement,” the official said in an interview with Ouest-France.
“But I also want to say, with equal firmness, that no mobilization should ever serve as a pretext for violence against protesters,” he added.
According to the CGT trade union, more than 500,000 people took part in demonstrations and marches across France on Saturday to protest against the rising cost of living.
Following clashes between protesters and law enforcement, the union called on the government to “put an end to repression.”
“The government must stop the repression and immediately address social demands,” the union stated. The CGT was among the organizations that called for the demonstrations.
