level of destruction and violence that was expressed,  Marie Peyreigne, a 57-year-old government employee said, wondering what led to the mayhem.

Inspecting the damage, many Parisians took photos of the partially dismantled base of the central monument at Place de la République - a statue of Marianne, a symbol of France.

Jean Foissy, 74, said he wanted to join the protest but found  a wall of riot police and fires everywhere,  and went back home.

 I was very scared,  he said.  I've been a Parisian since I was born, so when I got here, it almost made me want to cry because I find it so bad, it hurts me. 

Margaux Eude, 26, said she supports the protest movement but  didn't think it would escalate like this. 

 It's the troublemakers who came, and it breaks my heart because it delegitimizes the movement,  she said.

Political leaders trade blame ahead of presidential election

Political leaders across the spectrum sought to parlay the fallout of Saturday's riots into political capital, looking ahead to next spring's presidential election.

Far-right leader and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen lashed out at far-left rival Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who joined the Paris march.  Looting, ransacking, destroying and attacking law enforcement: Rioters have again spoiled the Oct. 17 demonstrations for the protection of purchasing power,  Le Pen wrote on X.

Her running mate, Jordan Bardella, said on X that  if the silent majority of French decide it, we will reestablish order for the long term. 

Mélenchon, for his part, traded barbs with the prime minister, accusing Lecornu of  playing with fire  and alleging that  by banking on degradation, you have only succeeded in uniting all youths and workers' unions. 

Mélenchon insisted that  my message is clear: those who share our fight have no business in looting or destruction. 

U.S. President Donald Trump posted  France is burning!  on his Truth Social platform, apparently linking the unrest to  the immigration of people from an entirely different world. 

 Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!  he wrote.

French authorities and police have not linked immigrants to the rioting and have repeatedly attributed some of the violence to  radical far-left groups  and other people who joined to loot.

Hundreds of businesses looted across the country

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced the creation of an emergency unit to support businesses assess the damage.

 The scale of the damage is considerable and unprecedented,  Grégoire wrote in an open letter.  Paris is a city of freedoms, debate and demonstrations. It must remain so. But it must also be a city where everyone can work and run a business safely. 

Police said groups of hundreds of 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,  police said.

The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon, the three largest cities, requested a meeting with the prime minister in the coming days  given the extent of the damage and the seriousness of the situation. 

In the southern port city of Marseille, some protesters briefly forced their way into the lobby of City Hall and a group of people wearing hoods and masks damaged a police station. In Lyon, a fire broke out inside a tourist office.