Protests in many places in France turn violent, with burned cars and broken glass filling the streets of Paris

Violence broke out in France during the latest round of demonstrations against struggling schools and rising living costs.

The French government said the level of violence "escalated" as about 550,000 people took to the streets on Saturday (October 17), with at least 1,200 people arrested.

In Paris, serious clashes between riot police and demonstrators continued into the evening. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd.

Buildings were set on fire in the capital and elsewhere, including a fire at Limoges city hall that caused part of the roof to collapse.

Looting broke out in several cities, and there were reports of large-scale damage to city halls and commercial establishments.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said 150 police officers were injured in the riots.

In Paris, the main marches remained largely peaceful in the afternoon. A group of young people told the BBC that they were "pacifists" who "just want to push for change, but nothing is happening".

However, as time went on, some groups set fires and burned vehicles in the streets, including in iconic locations such as the Place de la République in the city centre.

Shops were looted, at least one restaurant was destroyed by fire, and the BBC also witnessed clashes between some groups.

Riot police were seen charging at a group of people in central Paris and hitting several people with batons.

Lyon Mayor Grégory Doucet said the burning of the city's tourism office was a "tragedy" for Lyon. "It's heartbreaking because it's a very iconic and well-known historic building," he told BFMTV.

Local police said "hostile individuals" were preventing firefighters from putting out the fire safely.

Firefighters also put out a fire at Limoges City Hall, which the local provincial government said caused part of the building to collapse.

Régis Juanico, the mayor of Saint-Étienne, said on social media that a young man had his hand "broken off by a grenade", adding: "Such a tragedy should not have happened."

The Ministry of the Interior stated that "targeted violence" by "hooded individuals" occurred in some areas during the demonstrations, involving parts of the capital and cities such as Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers.

Damage to buildings was reported across France, including in Grenoble, Avignon, Pau, Montpellier and Valence.

Clothing stores and food stores were looted in Paris, and an Apple store in Lille was broken into and evacuated.

Footage verified by BBC Verify showed that in Grenoble, several masked men drove a tourist train along a narrow street in the city center towards at least three riot police officers.

In the past few weeks, hundreds of thousands of students have protested over staff shortages and dilapidated high school buildings. A French "lycée" is a secondary school for students aged 15 to 18.

The number of demonstrators grew further on Saturday when union members and other protest groups joined in.

These groups include the so-called "yellow vest" movement (gilets jaunes). The movement has been demonstrating against the rising cost of living for more than a year since 2018, becoming one of the longest protest movements in French history.

Although France is no stranger to protests and riots, this round of turmoil comes as the country enters a period of high political uncertainty.

French President Emmanuel Macron (Macron) will step down next year, and polls show that the presidential election next April may turn into a battle between Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the radical left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI).

Mélenchon participated in the demonstrations in France and later accused the police of "massive repression" of demonstrators while condemning looting and arson.

Prime Minister Le Corny said the remarks were "dangerous and full of cynicism".

He said earlier that the police were facing "extremely high levels of violence" and that some groups were using demonstrations as a "warm-up" for the presidential election. He also said: "No one can impose their political agenda through violence."

The government appears to have tried to make concessions. Education Minister Édouard Geffray (Geffray) promised in a television interview on the 8th that 3,000 additional substitute teachers would be hired.