About 550,000 people took part in protests across France on Saturday, according to the Interior Ministry, BBC News, The Guardian and AFP reported. The CGT union said 800,000 people took part, The Guardian and AFP reported. BBC News reported the CGT's figure as nearly 800,000. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 110,000 marched in Paris, BBC News reported.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said late Saturday that 1,200 people had been arrested and 150 police officers hurt, AFP and The Guardian reported. BBC News logged the 1,200 arrest figure at 5:52 PM ET. Earlier, at about 2:25 PM ET, Nuñez had put arrests at about 400 and said 60 officers were injured, two of them taken to hospital unconscious, BBC News reported. He said most of those arrested were adults with no link to the student movement, BBC News reported.

The protests grew out of student anger over teacher absences and run-down schools that began last month in the poor northern suburbs of Paris, The Guardian reported. Saturday's marches drew wider anger over high prices, The Guardian and AFP reported. Yellow Vest activists had called the demonstrations, AFP reported.

Most marches were peaceful, BBC News and The Guardian reported. But the city hall in Limoges was largely destroyed by a fire set by masked protesters, according to the region's top official, AFP reported. Protesters forced their way into Marseille's town hall, and a tourist office was set on fire in Lyon, AFP reported. Shops were looted in Paris, Marseille and other cities, AFP reported. A 17-year-old boy lost his right hand to a crowd-control grenade in Saint-Etienne, AFP reported.

Nuñez blamed the violence on people linked to the "hard left and extreme left," BBC News reported. He said the government is not planning to declare a state of emergency, The Guardian reported. President Emmanuel Macron said there is "no place for violence," BBC News reported, and said looters would be "prosecuted and punished," AFP reported.

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged protesters to stay away from looting, calling it "contrary to our methods," AFP and The Guardian reported. He accused Lecornu of "playing with fire," BBC News reported. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen condemned "the rioters," AFP and The Guardian reported.

What we know: The ministry counted about 550,000 protesters and the CGT 800,000, and Lecornu said 1,200 people were arrested.
What we don't: The full cost of the damage, and whether the government will change course on the protesters' demands.