PARIS — A car and a newspaper kiosk were set on fire in Paris as police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent groups of protesters, while similar tensions erupted Saturday in other big cities on the fringes of nationwide demonstrations against rising living costs and in support of high school students' grievances.Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez's office described "a growing number of violent incidents," including assaults on police officers, looting or attempted looting of shops and damage to public buildings.Authorities reported at least 272 arrests across the country, including in Paris.In the French capital, police used tear gas and water cannons to push back people wearing hoods and masks and throwing fireworks and other objects at officers in the Place de la République, northeast of the Paris city center.
Large numbers of riot police were deployed in the square and surrounding streets.The majority of peaceful protesters joined a march that moved toward northwestern Paris.The crowd chanted France's national anthem as French flags were waved.
The chants were accompanied by people playing trumpets and violins.Meanwhile, police were working to prevent other small groups of protesters from converging on government buildings, Nuñez's office said.Many metro stations were closed Saturday at police request, including those around the Champs-Elysées and near the presidential palace, parliament and government offices.In Lyon, France's third-largest city, where about 20,000 protesters joined the march, fire broke out inside a tourist office.Smoke and flames were seen rising from the building.In the southern port city of Marseille, some shops and a municipal police station were damaged, while some protesters briefly forced their way into the lobby of City Hall."This is unacceptable," Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan told BFM TV, describing the damage in City Hall as "limited."Nuñez's office also reported violence by masked groups in Rennes, Toulouse, Mo...