French President Emmanuel Macron was scheduled to deliver a televised response in Paris as the situation approached 5pm. Addressing the unrest, the interior minister stated that 'the Republic will not yield' to the worst protests seen in France in years.
Arrests across France have risen to nearly 1,800 following large-scale protests and unrest that involved buildings being set alight, including Limoges City Hall in central France, and widespread vandalism across other cities.
The demonstrations, which began about education and schooling conditions, broadened to encompass wider cost of living issues. During the clashes, more than 500 police officers, gendarmes, and firefighters sustained injuries.
The angry protests that convulsed France and Spain in recent weeks have also spread to Italy and Portugal, with rioters clashing with police and setting property on fire in Milan, while a tent encampment sprang up in Lisbon over the weekend.