Updated on: October 24, 2026 / 2:08 PM EDT / CBS/AP

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Nearly 1,000 people were arrested in nationwide protests in France, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Saturday, after demonstrations over the high cost of living and the country's education system earlier in the day remained largely peaceful.

Nuñez said the number of arrests is expected to rise. He said marches "passed off well" in cities, but police officers found themselves confronted with "an extremely elevated level of violence" from "ultra-left" groups later in the day.

The French Interior Ministry said about 410,000 people participated in protests around the country . Union organizers from the General Confederation of Labor put the number at around 800,000.…