France is assessing the damage from a weekend of violent unrest, with more than 3,000 businesses affected by looting, vandalism and arson in Paris and other cities. The French Chamber of Commerce estimates losses running into hundreds of millions of dollars, while Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has acknowledged that police lost control during parts of the protests. More than 500,000 people demonstrated peacefully across France on Saturday, demanding better conditions for students and action on the rising cost of living, before violence erupted in several urban centres. The government has promised a major criminal justice response, including targeted curfews, while President Emmanuel Macron has proposed giving local authorities greater powers to ban demonstrations. Protests continued on Monday, with students forcing the Louvre Museum to close over cuts to cultural funding. Further nationwide demonstrations are planned for Saturday, led by the Yellow Vests movement.
Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith reports from Paris.
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