Erik de la Reguera: I saw the police backing away in the chaos - it raises questions

Across France, more than half a million French people demonstrated on Saturday, most of them peacefully. In Paris, left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon joined the peaceful demonstration that gathered 110,000 participants - demanding lower living costs and investment in schools and welfare.

But at the same time, hundreds of masked, black-clad activists clashed with police at the edge of the train. The same in Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille and several other cities.

The city hall of Limoges was ravaged by fire, business premises were looted, restaurants were vandalized and burning barricades were built in the streets and squares.

The riots were the worst in France in years. And the police on this day had obvious problems getting control of the situation.

More than 1,800 people are said to have been arrested, the majority of them over 18 years of age. Several people are said to have been seriously injured and one demonstrator has died of a heart attack.

Exactly which groups were behind the violence is still unclear, but the police suspect that smaller, radical left-wing collectives were driving it. A kind of "tail" was also formed by young guys and girls who mostly seemed to be looking to loot shops.

An outraged Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu blames left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon:

- It is time to choose a side. Either you stand on the side of the republic, and thus on the side of law and order. Or you stand on the side of the perpetrators of violence, said Lecornu last Saturday evening.

Mélenchon responded defiantly on social media: "You have played with fire."

His left-wing France Unbridled party distanced itself from the violence, dismissing criticism from the government and radical right opposition leader Marine Le Pen that the left should have better control over who is riding its train.

- Those who are responsible for this are the ones who put the country in this situation. The government does not understand how strong the anger is in this country, says the party's economic spokesman Éric Coquerel to French radio.

From unruly France, they instead try to turn the criticism towards the police, who they accuse of having "provoked" the violence with stun grenades and tear gas.

It is correct that the tactics of the police on Saturday were clearly confrontational from an early stage. But on the other hand, it is not very unusual.

A dialogue police, like the one in Sweden, doesn't exist in practice here - instead, in France it's often about showing superiority. Think shields, batons, stun grenades, tear gas, water cannons and large rubber projectiles. This often leads to personal injuries - and that even peaceful demonstrators and journalists are affected.

The police's tactics have been criticized for being disproportionate by, among others, the UN Human Rights Committee.

But last Saturday something strange also happened.

After a couple of hours of rioting, the police chose to back off. Around 3:30 p.m., DN witnessed how hundreds of black-clad activists were more or less undisturbed able to break into businesses, loot and build large, burning barricades around the Place de la République.

For a couple of hours the police made no serious attempt to stop the chaos.

- We have orders not to intervene, said a riot police a couple of blocks away.

Maybe it was actually because the police were overwhelmed.

But the action raises questions.

Both in Paris and Marseille, the municipal authorities criticize the police for having underestimated the risks of the demonstration, and demand answers as to why they did not intervene to protect people and property.