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French authorities detained 1,314 people during Yellow Vests demonstrations held across the country yesterday against the high cost of living, the Interior Ministry said in a written statement. The ministry recorded 289 separate actions nationwide.

The protests, supported by student and trade unions, left 53 members of the security forces injured and prompted firefighters to respond to blazes at 75 locations. A large number of shops were damaged and 24 were looted, the ministry said, adding that the figures were not final.

Interior Ministry tallies damage and detentions

The Interior Ministry said numerous investigations had been opened into incidents that took place during the demonstrations. It put national participation at 410,000 people, while the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), France's largest trade union, estimated the figure at around 800,000.

Demonstrators were injured in cities including Nantes, Toulouse, Poitiers and Clermont-Ferrand, according to the accounts cited in the coverage of the day's events.

Lawmakers and mayors condemn attacks on protesters

Thomas Portes, a lawmaker for France Unbowed (LFI), wrote on the US-based social media platform X that "fascist militias took to the streets in at least 14 cities to attack or threaten demonstrators." Portes shared a list that included Rouen, Nice, Lille, Montpellier and Lyon, and said "the far right is a threat whose capacity to do harm must be removed."

Nice Mayor Eric Ciotti said on X that he "condemns in the strongest possible terms the attacks by far-right activists on demonstrators in a peaceful procession." Ciotti added that nothing could justify such acts, that those responsible must answer before the courts, and that "order must prevail in the streets to ensure everyone's safety."

Montpellier Mayor Michael Delafosse wrote on social media that "yesterday a far-right militia used violence against demonstrators in the streets of Montpellier." Delafosse said no one in the republic may use violence against anyone else, condemned the acts and asked the police to investigate and detain those responsible.

What the Yellow Vests plan next

The Yellow Vests, backed by student and trade unions, took to the streets yesterday over the cost of living and high fuel prices.

The movement has called for another day of action on 31 October and announced plans for a sit-in in front of the National Assembly and French town halls on that date.

Key takeaways

• 1,314 people were detained in 289 Yellow Vests actions across France yesterday, the Interior Ministry said.
• 53 members of the security forces were injured, fires broke out at 75 locations and 24 shops were looted.
• The ministry put participation at 410,000, while the CGT union estimated around 800,000.
• LFI lawmaker Thomas Portes and the mayors of Nice and Montpellier condemned attacks on demonstrators attributed to far-right groups.