Paris:Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested across France during Saturday's demonstrations over rising living costs and poor education standards, with the figure expected to rise, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, Nunez stated that the demonstrations had mostly proceeded as anticipated, but some groups considered at risk of causing trouble had broken away from the main marches, resulting in property damage and attacks on security forces.

Law enforcement systematically intervened in response to numerous acts of violence, including projectile throwing and mortar fire. The number of arrests significantly surpassed the 385 recorded during demonstrations the previous weekend, highlighting the heightened tensions.

Nunez noted that while shops in city centers were generally protected, some businesses in certain cities were looted. This situation was described as better than the previous week. The police also seized a large number of items that could be used as weapons, underscoring the effectiveness of the security operation.

Two people were seriously injured, one in Clermont-Ferrand and the other in Toulouse. Nunez defended the police response as proportional and rejected claims of repression against the protest movement. He emphasized the role of law enforcement in ensuring the marches could take place amid significant aggression faced by officers.

In the city of Tours, where approximately 5,000 people demonstrated, authorities observed about 800 masked individuals attempting to avoid identification before vandalizing property. Additionally, in Nice, a far-right group reportedly tried to protect businesses before being dispersed by police, an incident Nunez described as a first.

The minister reported no attacks targeting public buildings, attributing this to police intervention, contrasting it with events on October 17 when public facilities were targeted in cities such as Limoges, Marseille, and Lyon.