Protesters clash with police in Paris and across France during major day of demonstrations

The prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, where Marseille is located, says 107 police officers have been injured, three of them “very seriously”, following the “looting and violence that the city of Marseille has witnessed” today.

Jacques Witkowski also expresses his thanks to law enforcement and his support for businesses in Marseille.

Lola, a 19-year-old student, was among those taking part in protests in Paris today.

“We fight because living conditions are too harsh, the cost of gas is too high,” she told Reuters earlier today.

She added that high school students are getting hurt across the country as they protest for more teachers and “more decent” conditions in which to learn.

Meanwhile, Dana, a 24-year-old publicity industry worker, said his younger sister is due to take her French baccalaureate but hasn’t had a French lesson since last year because of a lack of teachers.

“The conditions aren’t good. And the cost of living is very high. We’ve really got to be careful with spending so that we can live decently. We’re also here to protest for that,” he said.

Rozina Sini

BBC readers have been getting in touch with their experiences of today’s protests in France. Here are a few of the comments we’ve received so far:

Judith Badger: “We are in Marseilles on holiday. We have seen many protesters and evidence of people looting. Small fires are burning as protesters occupy the old port area of the city. Pleasure boats are being diverted away from the old port area.”

Melanie Smith: “Just arrived in Pau for European rugby match tomorrow and walked straight into demo on way to our hotel. Tear gas thrown so we had to find an alternative route and arrived just as the hotel was locking up on the advice of the police. We’ve heard some loud explosions and seen more tear gas from our window. It’s gone quiet now and I’ve seen some police vehicles.”

Eric Witton: “I drove from Frejus to Toulon this morning and there was no sign of any of the advertised blockades at the tolls. However, I stopped for fuel at three different service areas and at all three, access to the pumps was blocked by abandoned trucks.”

France’s General Confederation of Labour (CGT) says nearly 800,000 people took part in today’s protests across the country.

In a statement on its website, the trade union calls the latest round of demonstrations “a new stage in the mobilisation process” – adding that the government “must respond without delay to the demands” of the people.

Among the changes it urges the Macron government to agree to are increases in wages and pensions, as well as the reintroduction of a wealth tax.

The CGT “calls for the continuation of the peaceful mobilisation with young people” in the coming days, culminating in a “great inter-union day of strike” on 5 November.

Baton blows, tourist train, smoking projectiles – videos show violence in clashespublished at 21:39 BST

By Richard Irvine-Brown

BBC Verify has verified clips of clashes with police across three French cities today.

In one clip, a tourist train in Grenoble is driven and ridden by men in masks and all-black clothing along a narrow street in the historic centre of the city, toward at least three police officers in riot helmets. All the masked men appear to jump off the train and the officers easily step aside to avoid the vehicle.

Another video, filmed in central Paris, shows dozens of officers running into protesters. During the 57-second video, we’ve counted at least 11 baton blows from multiple officers aimed at five protesters, none of whom appear to be armed.

In a third video, filmed at the Old Port in Marseille, at least seven police officers in riot gear are seen bombarded with smoking projectiles. One person lying on the ground – it’s unclear if they are with the police – is pulled to safety under a nearby archway by some of the officers.

The fire at Limoges City Hall appears to have spread, engulfing much of the roof.

The latest pictures from the scene show water being sprayed from two fire engine hoses in a bid to extinguish the blaze.

Earlier, we reported that the local prefecture said two-thirds of the facade had already disappeared and the building was now “largely lost”.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told reporters there had been a break-in and arson inside the building.

Fires continued to burn late into the evening in Paris.

Pictures taken earlier this evening show groups stoking fires in the streets, while riot police continued to disperse crowds in the capital.

We can now bring you an update on the fire at Limoges City Hall, in south-west central France.

Earlier, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told reporters there had been a break-in and arson inside the building, and firefighters were responding.

New pictures show the fire has spread across a larger area of the building’s roof. The prefecture has said the building is now “largely lost”.

“The roof collapsed on to the lower floors, except for the west wing, and two-thirds of the facade has already disappeared,” Prefect Maurice Barate tells AFP news agency, describing the loss as a “heritage catastrophe”.

The town hall was opened in 1883, and part of it was designated a historic monument in 1975.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon has accused French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu of “playing with fire” by allowing the situation in France to “fester”.

The leader of France’s left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI – France Unbowed) was responding to accusations from Lecornu, who blamed him for “providing excuses” for violent protesters.

“You’ve been playing with fire. By counting on the situation to fester, you’ve only succeeded in uniting all of the youth and the labor unions,” Mélenchon writes on social media.

He says Lecornu is “provoking a crisis of the regime” and that the French administration has “caused the chaos through its absurd and incompetent decisions”.

The vice-president of France’s National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, has condemned Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez over the police response to today’s protest.

In a social media post, Clémence Guetté writes: “Your men are blocking thousands of people at the protest, which is nevertheless legal and declared.”

The member of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI – France Unbowed) accuses Nuñez of trying to “provoke and to make the situation degenerate”.

“You are putting everyone in danger.”

At a news conference earlier, the interior minister said police had helped ensure the regular protests were allowed to go ahead by containing violent demonstrators.

As we’ve just reported, the mayor of Saint-Étienne says a young man lost his hand in a grenade incident during protests today.

French interior minister Laurent Nuñez had previously halted the use of stun grenades at demonstrations after a 15-year-old student’s hand was blown off.

However, on Friday, Nuñez told France 2 that police officers “must be able to use all intermediate weapons at their disposal, from tear gas grenades to defence ball launchers” should “urban violence” erupt during Saturday’s protests.

• As a reminder, Mayor Régis Juanico did not clarify what kind of grenade was involved in today’s incident, or whether it was deployed by police

The mayor of the east-central city of Saint-Étienne has confirmed that a young man “had his hand blown off by a grenade” during today’s demonstrations.

Régis Juanico writes on social media that “such a tragedy should never have happened”, as he expresses his support for the man and his family.

Earlier this month, a 15-year-old’s hand was also blown off during protests, after an anti-encirclement grenade was fired in unclear circumstances in the northern city of Lens.

France’s interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, has given an update on events across the country during today’s protests.

Here’s what we’ve learned:

• An estimated 550,000 people took part in demonstrations across France, including 110,000 in Paris
• About 400 people were arrested. Nuñez said most were adults and were not connected to the student movement
• During clashes, 60 law enforcement officers were injured, including two who were taken to hospital unconscious
• Nuñez blamed the violence on individuals associated with the “hard left and extreme left”, adding there was a “clear desire” to attack public buildings
• The interior minister also said looting or attempted looting was recorded in several cities, including Paris, Rouen, Nantes, Toulouse and Marseille

A fire has broken out on the roof of Limoges City Hall following protests in the city, in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

Pictures from today show fire engulfing the ground floor of the building, with huge plumes of smoke filling the air. The AFP news agency and local media report that the roof is also burning.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez tells reporters: “There is a break-in and arson inside the Limoges town hall. Firefighters are currently responding.”

Now back to the interior minister’s speech.

He goes on to say there’s a lot of video evidence available to identify those behind the violence.

He says he’ll shortly meet the prime minister to discuss the latest developments, reiterating that the day isn’t over yet.

After concluding his update, Nuñez takes questions from the media.

On the police response to the protests, he says officers need to be able to protect themselves when violent protesters use weapons.

French President Emmanuel Macron says “there is no place for violence” in France amid protests across the country today.

In a social media post, he writes that those “who have vandalised and attacked” prefectures and businesses and “looted” town halls will be “prosecuted and punished”.

“We will all stand united against the sowers of chaos, who seek only to bring down our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so,” he adds.

Nuñez continues to say approximately 400 people have been arrested.

The interior minister says police helped ensure the regular protests were allowed to go ahead by containing the violent demonstrators.

He criticised “hard left” figures who “openly called for revolt”, saying they will have to take responsibility for the chaos seen on the streets of France today.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez is giving an update on the unrest across the country.

He says the legal protests went ahead as planned, with an estimated 550,000 people taking part across France.

But “at the margins of these protests”, groups he says belong to the “hard left and extreme left” caused the situation to “degenerate”.

Nuñez says there was a “clear desire” to target public buildings in many cities across the country.

We’re now hearing from Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.

You can watch live above. We’ll bring you his key points here soon.

Stay with us.

The official residence of the prefect of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde has been damaged during protests in Bordeaux.

The prefecture’s official social media account says Prefect Sophie Brocas condemns the attack as the act of “violent individuals” seeking to “destroy, steal and sow disorder” across the city.

“The freedom to demonstrate cannot justify either the violence, the damage, or the harm to property,” the prefecture says. “The perpetrators will have to answer for their actions.”