French police have detained over 300 people at protests against the government's plans to cut social spending, Interior Minister Bruno Retaileau told BFMTV.
“309 people have been arrested, 134 of whom are in custody“, the minister said.
According to him, 7,300 radicals took part in the demonstrations. “They failed to block France“, Retaileau stressed.
Earlier, the Interior Ministry reported that over 500,000 people took part in the demonstrations. According to estimates by the leading French union, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), more than 1 million people took to the streets.
In Paris and other cities, including Nantes, Rennes, Lyon and Marseille, demonstrations turned violent: radical demonstrators smashed shops and bank branches. Police detained protesters and used tear gas. The Interior Ministry deployed more than 80,000 police and gendarmes, as well as armored vehicles and drones, to maintain order.