Paris riots leave cars torched and shops looted as 1,800 arrested

Around 550,000 took part in protests

The riots in the French capital erupted after a day of mass demonstrations against rising fuel prices, the cost of living and deteriorating public services, including schools.

On Saturday alone, police arrested about 1,800 people, while roughly 550,000 people took part in protests that were largely peaceful before breakaway groups turned violent.

France's interior ministry said that more than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured in the unrest.

Meanwhile, according to the country's Retail and Trade Federation, around 1,500 shops and retailers were damaged across Paris, Marseille and Lille.

Why the Paris riots turned so violent

Groups of rioters, some masked and dressed in black, broke away from the main marches to set fire to cars and buildings.

This led to the riot police responding with tear gas and water cannon as fires took hold on the streets of central Paris, and at least one restaurant was gutted by flames.

A McDonald's was set alight in Lille, while an Apple store was broken into and looted, police said.

In Marseille, which is further south in the country, protesters used a metal fence as a battering ram to break into the city hall.

The clean-up after the Paris riots

Early on Sunday morning, shopkeepers were out sweeping up broken glass outside designer stores including Ralph Lauren, Gucci and Versace.

Rubbish trucks worked their way along the wider boulevards clearing debris left overnight.

Graffiti scrawled across the damaged shopfronts captured the mood.

One slogan read "tax the rich." Another, daubed beside a wrecked storefront, said simply "eat the rich."