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Chaos hit the streets of France yesterday as violent protesters rebelled against the cost of living, education standards and Emmanuel Macron's government, with police admitting they 'lost control'.
More than 1,200 demonstrators were arrested as the streets of major French cities were turned into a battleground, with city halls and prefectures set on fire and hundreds of shops looted in 'apocalyptic riots'.
Desperate business owners and horrified residents could only watch in fear as the mob went door-to-door, smashing their way into each business.
Among the destruction, a distraught woman was seen begging rioters in Paris not to loot a supermarket on Saturday.
She is heard asking 'why are you doing this' and screaming 'this is not the cause' as a group of young male rioters push past her into the smashed shop.
In the heartbreaking video, the crowd then appears to cheer as the balaclava-clad looters leave the store with arms full of stolen goods.
The shop was one of many buildings and businesses to be damaged in Saturday's demonstrations, as roughly 550,000 people took to the country's streets.
The iconic Limoges Town Hall, which was built in 1883 and survived both world wars, came tumbling down in a blaze after it was torched by rioters in the south-west of France.
A video seen by 1.4 million people on X showed the historic building, which played a significant role in the French Resistance during the Second World War, collapsing, with its bell tower engulfed in flames.
In another shocking video from Nice, a comic book shop owner was captured trying to defend his business as looters appeared to have smashed their way into his shop.
He stepped out to confront a rioter and shouted to the crowd, but when he turned his back, the looter sprinted back and launched into a flying kick, knocking the shopkeeper to the ground.
Amid the more than 1,200 arrests nationwide, French police admitted they did not have the manpower to cope.
'It was apocalyptic,' a senior commander told Sunday's Le Parisien newspaper. 'Law enforcement was unable to contain the multitude of simultaneous attacks occurring across the country, and was quickly overwhelmed by determined protesters.'
Explaining how a number of districts fell into 'the hands of rioters', the source said 'there weren't enough personnel or ammunition.'
The 'apocalyptic rioting' followed intense violence in recent weeks which saw gangs of agitators taking part in running battles with the forces of law and order.
Police said that 855 people were arrested in the French capital region, with more than 1,800 arrested across the country.
One person died of a heart attack, Paris police said in a statement, without providing further details. French media reported a protester suffered a medical emergency in the street during the march.
Thirteen police and gendarmerie officers and two firefighters were injured, the statement said.
Daylight revealed the path of destruction left by protesters in Paris yesterday as the streets were covered in shattered glass and burned vehicles.
Business owners awoke to smashed windows and doors off their hinges with many having seen their produce stolen by looters.
Rioters were even able to break in and ransack municipal police premises, as the emergency services lost their grip on authority.
Around Paris' Place de la République on Sunday morning, dislodged cobblestones, shattered storefronts and broken glass marked the aftermath of the events. Looting and damage were reported around the square and in some other tourist and shopping areas in the city center.
Police said groups numbering from several hundred to more than 1,000 people formed unauthorized marches across central Paris on Saturday.
'By late afternoon, a new phase began with the arrival of large numbers of people whose sole aim was to steal and loot, taking advantage of the unrest,' they said.
As blazes were started across the country and Molotov Cocktails were thrown at officers, water cannon, tear gas and baton charges were used to try and end the uprising.
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, were accused of acting like the out-of-touch King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette at the start of the 1789 Revolution.
The Macrons attended a Céline Dion concert on Friday night, and were seen dancing in a private box.
President Macron will hold an emergency meeting with top government officials on Sunday afternoon, before addressing the nation at 8 p.m., according to his office.
