Protests across France turned violent on a nationwide day of demonstrations as masked youths threw projectiles, torched parked cars and looted shops in Paris, Marseille, Lille, Nice and other cities. Police responded with tear gas and water cannon, and more than 130 arrests were made. The town hall in Limoges was ravaged by fire, and in Saint-Etienne a protester lost a hand to a police grenade. The CGT union put turnout at 500,000, although the marches were largely peaceful and drew families and people of all ages. The unrest, driven largely by the cost of living, comes ahead of elections in six months to replace President Emmanuel Macron, with Marine Le Pen saying the protests were hijacked by the far left and Jean-Luc Melenchon accusing TV news of flooding viewers with violent images.
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