PARIS, France (AFP)—More than 1,800 people were arrested during and after violent protests in France that saw clashes, arson and looting, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Sunday.

In a post on X, he said that “1,800 people have been arrested and now investigations are under way to identify the perpetrators of these acts so they can be brought to justice”.

The violence in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and other cities occurred on the sidelines of mass demonstrations against high inflation caused in part from the US-Iran war.

It followed four weeks of student protests over poor classroom conditions in France’s high schools, some of which had also turned violent.

Nunez blamed “several thousand ultra-left individuals” for clashes with police, the arson or vandalism of several public buildings and widespread looting of shops on Saturday.

“The damage to property is considerable, especially for several hundred shop owners,” he said.

Nunez said some 500 police, firemen and paramedics had been hurt in the protests, a figure that he said could end up changing.

He added that France “will not yield to those who want to impose disorder and violence”.