Paris [France], October 25 (ANI): French authorities arrested 1,314 individuals across the country over the weekend as violence erupted alongside mass demonstrations against the high cost of living.The clashes marked the second consecutive weekend of widespread unrest as the country prepares for presidential elections scheduled for April and May to determine a successor to President Emmanuel Macron, who is reaching his two-term limit.France24, citing figures released by the interior ministry on Jattvibeday, said that 53 officers were injured in the clashes as law enforcement officers faced significant friction during the demonstrations.While the ministry statement did not specify the total number of injured demonstrators, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez spoke late Saturday of “two serious injuries among protesters: one in Toulouse and one in Clermont-Ferrand.”The interior ministry detailed that police were forced to respond to 75 fires ignited during Saturday’s protests, while 24 shops were looted, according to France24.Following the afternoon violence, the ministry issued a statement confirming that “several investigations have been opened,” without providing additional details, while noting that the remainder of Saturday night was “calm” after the confrontations had subsided.Earlier, France 24 reported that the French government said around 410,000 protesters had marched across the country, while organisers estimated the turnout at nearly 800,000.The Interior Minister pointed out that by the same time on the previous Saturday, a day also marred by unrest and looting, police had recorded 385 arrests.Authorities announced that the demonstration in Paris had been completely dispersed along the Cours de Vincennes following clashes between protesters and law enforcement personnel at the rear of the march.”A Gendarmerie helicopter has been deployed to support ground units and locate any remaining groups of rioters,” the prefectural police said, adding that “more than 500 rioters” had been present towards the end of the demonstration.Police used water cannons and tear gas grenades after projectiles were thrown at them.Meanwhile, Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the left-wing party France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) and a presidential candidate, criticised the police response to the demonstrations in Paris.In a post on X, Melenchon said, “In Paris, to ruin the day and unwind, the so-called forces of law and order gas and fire into the crowd at the back of the procession, all in a bid to get footage for the domestic news channels that spent the whole week airing the images that spurred the Trappes killer. Nonstop shame.”While initial gatherings were relatively peaceful, severe clashes broke out late Saturday evening in Paris. Riot police deployed tear gas and water cannons against crowds to restore order as security forces massed across the country to prevent a repeat of recent violence, Euronews reported.Violence and confrontations with police spread to several major regional hubs, including Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Toulouse.In Lyon, riot police filled the streets and fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of approximately 150 demonstrators who attempted to block a central road in an area under active protest bans, Euronews reported.Detailing the turnout in key regional centres, France 24 reported that nearly 10,000 people marched through Lyon despite lacking pre-authorisation and facing an expanded ban on gatherings in the city centre, according to estimates from the Rhône prefectural authorities.Prefectural officials noted that demonstrators gathered in various groups across the city, moving “in a very erratic manner, without any clearly defined objective” throughout the afternoon.In the southwestern city of Toulouse, local authorities estimated that 26,000 people joined Saturday’s demonstrations, France 24 reported.The demonstration brought together a broad coalition including left-wing party leaders, trade unions, student groups, activists, and non-governmental organisations such as Amnesty International, according to France24.Reacting to the tensions in France, US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) criticised France’s immigration policies while addressing a campaign rally for Republican candidates in Perry, Georgia.Addressing the rally, Trump said, “France is right now burning down because it opens its borders to people who hate it. These are people who hate it. They hate France. They hate the people of France. They move there. They don’t like the buildings. They don’t like the monuments. They don’t like the paintings. They don’t like anything about France.”Using the current situation in France as an example, Trump drew a parallel to immigration policies of the US as he said, “And you know what you do with those people? Never let them come into your country. And that’s what we’re doing.”This comes as Europe is reeling under a fresh wave of protests as people march over the rising cost of living, pensions, housing, education, corruption and opposition to war. Groups across Albania, Italy, Spain and Portugal also held demonstrations in multiple cities, leading to clashes between protesters and police.In Albania, thousands of people gathered in the capital, Tirana, on Saturday for another anti-government protest. Police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators as clashes continued amid growing opposition involving students, artists and political groups.According to Euronews, government buildings were attacked, and dozens of demonstrators were detained. Authorities said more than 300 protesters and police personnel had been injured.In Italy, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Milan, Rome, Turin, Naples, Bologna and Florence, with some protesters throwing bottles, stones and firecrackers.Italian police said they had made nine arrests and briefly detained 371 people during demonstrations in eight cities on Saturday. Of those taken to police stations, 110 were minors, the police statement added.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked law enforcement personnel for maintaining public order and protecting the right to peaceful protest despite attempts by what she described as “violent individuals” to provoke clashes.In a post on X, Meloni said, “I want to thank the women and men of the Law Enforcement Agencies who, even today, in Italy’s squares, have worked to ensure the safety of citizens and the right to peaceful demonstration, despite the attempts by some violent individuals to provoke clashes and disorder.”In Spain, demonstrators in Madrid called for pension increases to be linked to actual inflation, higher minimum pensions in line with the minimum wage, measures to close the gender pension gap and safeguards against the privatisation of the public pension system.In Portugal, affordable housing emerged as a central demand, with demonstrators taking to the streets amid concerns over housing costs. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)