2,397 detained during protests in France

A total of 2,397 people were detained during mass protests in France on October 17.

According to Operativ Media, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported the figures, citing the French Ministry of the Interior.

According to the ministry, 997 police officers and gendarmes were injured in clashes, seven of them severely.

In an urgent address to the nation on Sunday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron demanded that the government take tough measures to prevent a repeat of the large-scale street riots accompanying the demonstrations.

He vowed that those involved in the unrest would be held accountable and that compensation would be demanded from those who participated in looting shops and destroying buildings.