Macron slams unbridled riots as France faces new clashes
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned violence during cost-of-living protests as clashes and looting continued in Paris. Nearly 2,400 people were arrested…
PARIS — Macron slams unbridled riots as France faced fresh clashes in Paris on Sunday, after cost-of-living demonstrations erupted into violence and looting. Nearly 2,400 people were arrested on Saturday, and almost 1,000 police and gendarmes were injured, seven seriously, France’s interior ministry said.
The unrest has damaged businesses and public buildings, while the government weighs steps to protect cities without declaring a state of emergency or imposing a curfew. Macron said local authorities could ban certain rallies in the coming days.
“Tonight, we all feel anger and shame,” the French president said in a national address, referring to town halls set on fire and hundreds of businesses looted or damaged. He said authorities must distinguish protesters with “legitimate demands” from “those who destroyed, smashed, and looted.”
Clashes and looting continued
AFP journalists reported that police fired tear gas and stun grenades at hundreds of people gathered in a Paris square on Sunday after calls for a gathering on social media. Authorities said the gathering had not been approved.
People threw bottles and rocks at police. Authorities reported 108 arrests across the city, while at least five stores were looted around Republique square. Other central Paris shops had their windows smashed, and the city hall told many businesses to close.
In Lyon, police confronted youths who tried to loot a luxury clothing store. The incidents followed Saturday’s protests, when unions, the anti-Macron Yellow Vests movement and school students joined demonstrations over living costs and young people’s prospects.
The damage has immediate consequences for residents and businesses: shops have been looted or forced to close, and local authorities are dealing with damaged civic buildings. Macron said businesses affected by the unrest would receive support and promised “full transparency” over security forces’ response.
“It's like we had a war,” Paris resident Mehmet Ozeden, 78, told AFP near burnt street barricades left after Saturday’s protests.
Political dispute over the response
Macron said he expected officials to coordinate with mayors on protecting cities, public buildings and businesses. He also said he had asked Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to “draw all necessary lessons”, particularly on intelligence gathering and anticipating unrest, and said he expected “clear answers”. Some opposition politicians have called for Nunez to be dismissed.
Political leaders offered sharply different assessments. Marine Le Pen, the National Rally leader and a presidential candidate, said Macron’s administration was “running on fumes, exhausted and disoriented”. Jean-Luc Melenchon, head of the France Unbowed party and also running for president, warned the country could be heading toward “events that will eventually become uncontrollable”.
Macron called for the presidential election to be marked by debate rather than violence in the streets. The unrest comes months before that election, in which the president cannot stand again, according to AFP.
US President Donald Trump blamed immigration for the unrest in a social media post. Macron, meanwhile, said the authorities would be “uncompromising” toward people he described as agitators and delinquents.
France’s interior ministry said almost 1,000 police and gendarmes were injured on Saturday, seven seriously.
Source: afp.com
