Some 500 youths shouting “Sarko, fascist!” went on a rampage in the Bastille district of eastern Paris on Monday night, burning 10 cars, looting two stores including a supermarket and smashing windows, police said.
A total of 218 people were detained during four hours of clashes in which protesters threw stones, beer cans and bottles at police, one of whom was injured. Fifteen people remained in custody on Tuesday.
Anti-Sarkozy protests turned violent overnight in France’s second city of Lyon, in Lille, Toulouse, Nantes and Rennes.
More than 500 cars were set alight in cities and suburbs across the country, according to police reports gathered by AFP, many more than the 70 to 100 vehicles that are attacked on an average night in France.