Police fired tear gas and stun grenades Sunday to break up a bid to stage a new protest in Paris, one day after nationwide rallies descended into widespread chaos and looting.
AFP journalists said several hundred people gathered in the Republique square in Paris following social media calls for a gathering.
Place de la Republique is a habitual gathering site for protests, and was the scene of widespread pillaging Saturday.
The Paris prefecture said the latest demonstration had not been approved and police “carried out checks” and “put a security arrangement in place” to be able to “intervene quickly if needed.”
“Faced with the initial signs of tension, the officers” moved in “to disperse (the crowd) and make arrests,” the prefecture added.
Some 855 arrests were made in Paris on Saturday when several buildings and stores were looted and set alight amid pitched battles between police and masked demonstrators.
Sunday at Republique, tear gas was fired a first time to break up the rally, according to television images, but the protesters returned and AFP journalists said bottles and rocks were thrown at security forces who responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
Police eventually charged the crowd to break it up. Several arrests were made.
Demonstrators put up banners around the statue at the heart of the square complaining about the cost of living. Many were dressed in black and some were masked.
