French Interior Minister Admits Police Lost Control During Protests

France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has admitted that the police "lost control" in some cities during violent protests that erupted across the country at the weekend. The protests, which began as demonstrations against rising living costs and dwindling access to decent public services, turned nasty after groups of black-clad, masked activists and vandals appeared. An estimated 1,500 shops and businesses were looted and destroyed, and riot police fired tear gas and turned water cannon on crowds. They were seen hitting people with batons in several places. France's interior ministry said about 1,000 police officers were injured on Saturday, seven of them seriously.

The mayors of France's biggest cities on Monday demanded answers from the government to what they called a lack of preparation by security forces as the country licked its wounds from a weekend of rioting and looting. The protests followed weeks of student demonstrations with occasional bouts of street violence, rocking the country six months ahead of its next presidential election and increasing pressures over a weak economy and surging debt.