French prosecutors open attempted murder investigation after Molotov cocktail attack on gendarmes in Paris

Pictures show a gendarme’s clothes catching fire, with flames shooting up his legs.

On Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said it was an attempted murder.

For the third Saturday in a row, demonstrations were held across France over neglected schools and the high cost of living. Around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes had been deployed across the country.

The demonstrations were initially peaceful, but clashes were reported in several French cities in the afternoon.

France’s Interior Ministry said on Sunday that more than 770 arrests had been made during demonstrations and Halloween celebrations across the country.