French police fired tear gas and used batons against protesters in Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg as demonstrations against the rising cost of living spread across the country, according to the Interior Ministry.
In Marseille, demonstrators attempted to storm a police station and a row of shops, while authorities reported incidents involving weapons and other prohibited items.
At least 1,200 people were detained during the unrest, although the Interior Ministry separately reported that 166 people had been arrested nationwide as of its latest update.
French President Emmanuel Macron had urged the public to demonstrate peacefully on the previous evening.
By midday, the Interior Ministry had recorded 140 protest actions nationwide involving 32,800 participants. As many as 170,000 demonstrators were expected to gather across France, including between 30,000 and 60,000 in Paris alone.
Marches were planned in Paris and most other cities from around midday on Saturday, with the ministry warning of potential violence by radical groups.
“There is widespread mobilisation by radical left-wing groups seeking to create chaos,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
It also reported targeted violent attacks by masked individuals, particularly in Paris, Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers.
The ministry further cited attempted looting, fires in public areas and targeted attacks against authorities and the media.
In Paris, around 100 masked individuals blocked the entrance to right-wing television channel CNews, whose building also houses radio station Europe 1.
School and university students were also planning to join the demonstrations. They had been staging protests for several weeks to demand better learning facilities and school equipment.
