Violent clashes, fires and looting have marred demonstrations across France as hundreds of thousands of people marched against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

About 400 people were arrested nationwide, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Violent protests engulf France in fiery clashes

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Nuñez said 110 marches drew about 550,000 people across the country.

Organisers, including the CGT labour union and students’ organisations, said about 800,000 demonstrators took to the streets.

Hundreds of arrests as clashes erupt

Nuñez described troublemakers as “extremely violent, radical far-left groups” who, he said, sought confrontations with police and targeted public buildings, including city halls and local government offices.

Protestors sought confrontations with police and targeted public buildings, including city halls and local government offices. Credit: Sunrise

He said those groups had been joined by offenders willing to loot shops. Most of those arrested were adults, he said.

“There is no place for violence in our Republic,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a message on X.

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“Those who vandalized property, attacked government offices and businesses, and even looted our town halls will be prosecuted and punished.”

“We will stand united against those who sow chaos and who prevent people from peacefully expressing their demands,” Macron added.

Police in Paris fired tear gas and water cannons to push back people wearing hoods and masks and throwing fireworks, paving stones and other objects at officers in the Place de la République.

Police in Paris fired tear gas and water cannons to push back people. Credit: Sunrise

Violence spreads across France

The majority of peaceful protesters joined a march that moved toward northwestern Paris. The crowd chanted France’s national anthem and waved flags, and some people played trumpets and violins.

In the southern port city of Marseille, some shops and a municipal police station were damaged, while protesters briefly forced their way into the lobby of City Hall.

Nuñez also reported violence by masked groups against local government buildings in Bordeaux, break-in attempts at Lille and Calais city halls and at a police station in Brest.

Violence also broke out in Rennes, Toulouse, Montpellier and Grenoble, among other cities.

In Limoges, a mid-sized town in central France, City Hall was set on fire. Flames were still raging on Saturday evening.

Buildings have been engulfed in flames across the region. Credit: Sunrise

‘Yellow vest’ movement revived

Protesters responded to calls on social media to revive the “yellow vest” movement, which emerged in 2018 against social injustice.

Demonstrators expressed widespread frustration and anger at the government as gasoline, energy and food prices had spiked in recent months.

Labour unions and yellow vest activists have joined student protesters in rallies across France. (EPA PHOTO) Credit: AAP

Many protesters could be seen wearing the fluorescent yellow vests that became a symbol of the 2018 rallies.

Student groups protesting since mid-September through school blockades have urged supporters to join them.

The CGT, one of France’s major labour unions, also backed the protests, calling for “higher wages and pensions, lower prices and the protection of public services that meet people’s needs.”

Protester loses hand in explosion

Authorities opened an investigation after a young protester was badly injured Saturday and lost a hand in Saint-Etienne, Nuñez said.

He declined to confirm French media reports that the injury was caused by a police grenade explosion.

Police have faced sharp scrutiny over their use of grenades and other riot-control weapons. Credit: Sunrise

The incident comes as police have faced sharp scrutiny over their use of grenades and other riot-control weapons during recent demonstrations.

In the past weeks, France has seen thousands of arrests, hundreds of injuries, and schools set on fire as the new school year descended into nationwide student protests that are influencing the country’s presidential election campaign and drawing international attention.