457 arrested, 441 injured during France protests

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced the arrest of 457 people and the injury of 441 police and gendarmerie, on Thursday, in France during the ninth day of protests against pension reform.

Darmanan, who was a guest on CNN, said there were 903 fires of urban furniture and garbage containers during the union demonstration.

"There have been a lot of demonstrations and some have turned violent, especially in Paris," Darmanin said, praising the efforts of the police to protect the more than one million people who demonstrated across France.

Police had warned that subversive groups were expected to infiltrate the Paris demonstration, while masked youths were seen smashing windows and setting fire to garbage containers in the final stages of the demonstration.

Darmanan rejected calls from protesters to abandon pension reform passed by parliament last week in controversial circumstances, saying: "I think this law should not be withdrawn because of violence. If that happens, it means that there is no state. "We must accept a democratic and social debate, but not a violent one."