Major cities in France were hit by rioting last night as the country's former Interior Minister warned that mass immigration could bring societal breakdown within five years.

"French police arrested more than 100 people after gangs of masked youths stormed through Paris suburbs and the center of Lyon on Halloween night, authorities said on Thursday, following a message on social media calling for a "purge" against police," reports Reuters.

Video footage shows one of the incidents in Lyon.

Areas of Paris were also hit by unrest, including the deprived Seine-Saint-Denis area, which is home to 400,000 illegal immigrants and where last night, "a sportswear store was looted and young people robbing a grocery store attacked police with acid."

Some of the riots were inspired by "messages circulated on social media" about the movie The Purge, which depicts a chaotic urban dystopia in which all crimes are made legal for one day.