Police clashed with protesters in a Paris square on Sunday as fresh looting was reported, a day after nationwide demonstrations spiralled into widespread disorder and theft.
Several hundred people converged on Paris’s Place de la Republique after calls for the gathering circulated on social media.
The square is a traditional focal point for protests in the French capital. On Saturday, it became the scene of intense clashes and widespread looting.
The Paris police prefecture said Sunday’s demonstration had not been authorised. Officers carried out checks and established a security operation designed to allow them to intervene quickly if necessary, it said.
“Faced with the initial signs of tension,” police moved to disperse the crowd and make arrests, the prefecture added.
About 855 people were arrested in Paris on Saturday after several buildings and shops were looted and set on fire during fierce confrontations between police and masked demonstrators.
Television footage showed police firing tear gas at Place de la Republique for the first time on Sunday in an effort to disperse the gathering. The protesters later returned to the square.
Bottles and rocks were reportedly thrown at security forces, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
Police then charged the crowd in an attempt to break up the demonstration, with several arrests reported.
Protesters hung banners around the statue at the centre of the square, voicing anger over the rising cost of living. Many wore black clothing, while some covered their faces with masks.
