ty Hall as  limited. 

(AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Nuñez's office also reported violence by masked groups in Rennes, Toulouse, Montpellier and Grenoble, among other cities.

Protesters across France responded to calls on social media to revive the  yellow vest  movement, which emerged in 2018 against social injustice. Demonstrators expressed widespread frustration and anger at the government as gasoline, energy and food prices have spiked in recent months.

Saturday's protests follow weeks of school blockades

Student groups protesting since mid-September through school blockades have urged supporters to join them.

The CGT, one of France's major labor unions, also backed the protests, calling for  higher wages and pensions, lower prices and the protection of public services that meet people's needs. 

(AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

In recent weeks, France has seen thousands of arrests, hundreds of injuries and schools set on fire as the new school year descended into nationwide student protests that are influencing the country's presidential election campaign and drawing international attention.

Among protesters, particularly gruesome wounds suffered by some teenagers have been blamed on police riot-control weapons. Nuñez suspended the use of a type of police stun grenade against the young demonstrators after a 15-year-old lost a hand.

On Tuesday, climate and social justice activist Greta Thunberg joined students at a high school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.