The French authorities have lost control of the situation in the country due to the scale of unrest that broke out during protests on Saturday, European Parliament lawmaker and French right-wing Identity-Liberties party leader Marion Marechal said on Sunday.

"Given the current situation, the government has indeed lost control of the situation, this should be acknowledged," Marechal told the BFMTV broadcaster.

The lawmaker believes that the French government should have declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew even before the protests.

On Saturday, large-scale protests against the rising cost of living and price increases took place across France. They were accompanied by fierce clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement, unrest and vandalism. Rioters smashed shops, set fire to public transport stops and cars. To disperse the rioters, police used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that 1,800 people had been detained across the country, with more than 500 law enforcement officers and firefighters injured. In total, 550,000 people took part in the demonstrations, 110,000 of whom in Paris.