French police fire tear gas, water cannon at Paris protesters after 2,000 arrests nationwide

PARIS — French police fired tear gas and deployed a water cannon against protesters in central Paris on Sunday as fresh unrest erupted following nationwide cost-of-living demonstrations that left more than 2,000 people arrested and over 600 emergency personnel injured.Tensions flared at Place de la République after calls circulated on social media for a new gathering, French newspaper Le Parisien reported.Police made several arrests as protesters erected barricades, while firefighters responded to a blaze on nearby Rue Yves-Toudic.The Paris police prefecture said officers were deployed to disperse the gathering and carry out arrests following initial confrontations.Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced that more than 2,000 people had been arrested nationwide following Saturday’s demonstrations, which descended into violence in several cities.He said more than 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured during the unrest, warning that the toll remained provisional.Investigations are continuing to identify those responsible for attacks on public buildings, businesses and emergency personnel.President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to address the nation at 8 p.m. Sunday, the Élysée Palace announced.Macron is also expected to meet Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and relevant ministers ahead of his televised address.An interministerial crisis meeting chaired by Lecornu, initially scheduled for Sunday evening, has been postponed until 10 a.m. Monday.Saturday’s demonstrations brought together trade unions, Yellow Vest groups, students and farmers protesting the rising cost of living.The Interior Ministry estimated nationwide participation at 550,000, while the CGT trade union put the figure at nearly 800,000.One demonstrator died after suffering cardiorespiratory arrest in Paris, while several cities reported attacks on public buildings and commercial establishments.In Limoges, Haute-Vienne Prefect Maurice Barate said a fire at the city’s historic town hall had been largely extinguished, but almost the entire historic section of the building had been destroyed.Lecornu pledged state financial assistance, measures to maintain public services and accelerated reconstruction procedures for the city.The Association of Mayors of France called for gatherings outside town halls at noon Monday to condemn attacks on public buildings.Meanwhile, police and gendarmerie oversight bodies have launched investigations after a minor lost a hand in an incident involving a grenade during Saturday’s protests in Saint-Étienne, according to local authorities.