Cleanup begins in aftermath of Paris rioting

Associated Press

PARIS

French President Emmanuel Macron asked for an evaluation of possible protest security measures Sunday, a day after a Paris demonstration against increased taxes and living costs devolved into France’s worst urban riot in a decade.

Hours after he flew back to the French capital from the G-20 summit in Argentina, Macron held an emergency meeting at the Elysee presidential palace while crews worked to remove charred cars, broken glass and graffiti from the famed Champs-Elysees Avenue and other top Paris sites.

Paris police said 133 people were injured, including 23 police officers, as crowds trashed the streets of the capital Saturday. Officers fired tear gas and used water cannons to tamp down the violence as protesters torched cars, smashed windows, looted stores and tagged the Arc de Triomphe with spray paint.

Paris police Prefect Michel Delpuech said Sunday that fires were started at six buildings and more than 130 makeshift barricades and 112 vehicles were torched. He said some officers described encountering “unprecedented” violence, including protesters using hammers, gardening tools, bolts, aerosol cans and rocks in physical confrontations.

Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said 378 people remained in police custody as of Sunday evening. Many of them will go to trial through a rapid procedure today and Tuesday.