Key facts
- About 2,400 people were arrested during the unrest.
- Protests occurred nationwide on Saturday.
- Macron promised "full transparency" over the police response.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for "calm and order" and warned that riots across the country must not escalate, during a national television address. Macron stated that "we all feel anger and shame" after a major day of protests turned into rioting and looting across France on Saturday. Some 550,000 demonstrators had taken to the streets for largely peaceful protests against rising fuel prices, the cost of living, and deteriorating public services. Macron urged a distinction between the "legitimate demands" of protesters and "those who destroyed, smashed and looted." Police arrested about 2,400 people, and France's interior ministry said about 1,000 police officers were injured, seven of them seriously. Macron also said there would be "full transparency" over the police response to the demonstrations.