In the southern port of Marseille, rubbish bins were set ablaze and metal sheets used to block streets. A law enforcement vehicle was seen driving through a burning barricade in France's second-largest city.

Meanwhile, some protesters in dark clothing and face coverings were seen taking boards off a building to build a street barricade in the southern city of Bordeaux. In Lyon, police used tear gas grenades to disperse a crowd which had reportedly gathered in an area deemed off-limits by the local prefecture."

There were around 150 of us, mostly secondary school and university students. Then the tear gas came almost immediately.

You could barely see anything in the street," said one protester in France's third-largest city. Nuñez also said two people had been "seriously injured": one in the south-western city of Toulouse and another one in Clermont-Ferr and, central France.

He said the number of arrests across the country would likely rise. The man in Toulouse, a 20-year-old protester, had several fingers torn off one hand when a nearby explosive went off, Franceinfo reported, citing the medic who treated him.

Meanwhile, some 13,000 people joined a rally against the hard-right National Rally (RN) party in the north-central city of Orléans, which proceeded peacefully. The recent unrest has played out against a backdrop of a polarised political landscape, with France preparing for what could be the most divisive election period in a generation.

Macron will leave office next spring and polls suggest French voters will ultimately face a choice between RN's candidate Marine Le Pen and that of the radical-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed). Leading figures from both parties have levelled the blame for the disorder at Macron, though right-wing figures have also heaped criticism on rioters while left-wing leaders support the union-led protests.

Mass protests triggered by similar issues as in France also rocked several other European cities on Saturday. In Barcelona, more than 120 people were arrested after a student protest descended into what local authorities described as "gratuitous violence".

In Albania's capital Tirana, riot police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of anti-government demonstrators, while clashes were also reported in Belgium's capital Brussels. In Milan, northern Italy, a major security operation including hundreds of soldiers alongside police prevented protesters gathering in the city.