Macron Vows to Hold Those Behind Riots in France’s Nationwide Protests Accountable
PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron denounced rioting and looting during nationwide demonstrations against rising living costs and school conditions and said those responsible for the destruction would be held to account.
Figures from authorities Sunday said at least 2,400 people were arrested nationwide and the unrest damaged public buildings, businesses and parts of central Paris.
Macron acknowledged in a televised address public anger and shame at the violence. He blamed criminal elements and radical far-left activists, accusing them of targeting police officers and public buildings.
“Those who looted will pay for the damage, and those who tried to bring down the Republic will be held accountable,” Macron said.
The president was speaking after an emergency meeting with senior officials of the government. Masked groups set fires and attacked city halls in several cities the day before.
Macron said he had told regional prefects to work with mayors to protect public buildings and businesses in the coming weeks. He also said authorities could ban demonstrations where needed.
A fire in the central French city of Limoges gutted the city’s 19th-century town hall, collapsing the roof and leaving the building in near ruin.
New tensions in Paris
Hundreds of protesters gathered on Sunday at Paris’s Place de la République, where a large police presence remained. Tensions erupted as police fired tear gas, and small groups tried to set fire to bicycles and rubbish bins.
"The right to protest is a basic right. “It is not deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez wrote on X, referring to reports of looting at hundreds of businesses across the country.
Authorities put the number of people who took part in Saturday’s marches at about 550,000, while organisers estimated the turnout at 800,000.
The demonstrations were supported by a labour union, student groups and activists trying to revive the Yellow Vest movement, which emerged in 2018 over economic grievances and social inequality.
In France there has been some violence along with some big demonstrations, but most march peacefully. Sunday’s arrest count approached the nearly 2,000 arrests recorded across the country in a single day of Yellow Vest protests in December 2018.
Police in Paris also reported one death from a heart attack but gave no further details. The Paris prosecutor’s office said it was conducting an investigation.
Paris residents shaken by damage
On Sunday broken glass, cobbles dislodged from their positions and shopfronts smashed could be seen around the Place de la République. Looting and damage were also reported in other shopping and tourist areas, authorities said.
Police said 855 people were arrested in the Paris region, and prosecutors said 557 remained in police custody.
“The extent of the destruction and violence just stunned me,” said Marie Peyreigne, 57, a government employee.
People who were living there and went to see the damaged square photographed the partially dismantled base of its central monument, a statue of Marianne, the national symbol of France.
Jean Foissy, 74, said he was keen to join the demonstration but turned back after seeing riot police and fires.
He called the damage “very upsetting” and said, “I was very afraid.” " Foissy, who said he had lived in Paris all his life, said the scene had nearly moved him to tears.
