Half a million people marched over fuel prices and failing schools, but looting and arson left shops gutted and more than 500 security personnel injured.
France spent Sunday clearing broken glass and towing burnt vehicles after one of the most violent days of civil unrest the country has seen in recent memory.
About 550,000 people joined demonstrations across the country on Saturday. The protests were, for the most part, peaceful. But by nightfall, police had arrested roughly 1,800 people, and shops in Paris, Marseille, Lille and other cities had been looted or set alight.
What the protests were about
The marches grew out of student-led protests that began late last month. Pupils and students have been demanding more money for schools, pointing to a shortage of teachers and support staff, overcrowded classrooms and buildings in poor condition.
Those grievances widened into a broader campaign against rising fuel prices, the general cost of living and the decline of public services, The Ghana Report reports.
How it turned violent
In Paris, demonstrators clashed with riot police, who used tear gas and water cannon. Cars and at least one restaurant were set on fire. Groups dressed in black, some in masks and balaclavas, were seen in the capital and in Marseille.
In Marseille, protesters used a metal fence as a battering ram to force their way into the city hall. In Lille, a McDonald's was set on fire and an Apple store was broken into and emptied. In Lyon, the city's tourist office was burnt. Mayor Grégory Doucet called the loss of the historic building "a tragedy" in comments to French broadcaster BFMTV.
Fire crews also fought a blaze at the town hall in Limoges, a 143-year-old building that local officials say is largely destroyed after part of it collapsed. In Saint-Étienne, Mayor Régis Juanico said a young man lost a hand to a small explosive device.
The damage
France's interior ministry said more than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured. The Retail and Trade Federation put the number of damaged shops and retailers at about 1,500.
By Sunday morning, shopkeepers in Paris were sweeping up shards of glass outside designer stores including Ralph Lauren, Gucci and Versace. Graffiti left on some shopfronts read "tax the rich" and "eat the rich".
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said protest is a fundamental right, but blamed "several thousand far-left individuals" for targeting public buildings and confronting police, saying they were later joined by people who looted businesses.
What happens next
President Emmanuel Macron was scheduled to address the nation at 20:00 local time on Sunday.
For Ghanaians in France or with family there, the affected areas include central Paris, Marseille, Lille, Lyon, Limoges, Rennes, Toulouse, Angers, Grenoble, Avignon, Pau, Montpellier and Valence. Travellers should expect disrupted city centres and a heavy police presence while the clean-up continues.
