Macron Denounces “Unbridled” Violence After Weekend Protests, Vows Uncompromising Response
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation on Sunday after a weekend of cost of living and school conditions protests turned violent, denouncing “unbridled” violence and vowing an “uncompromising” response to those who rioted and looted.
Anger and shame
“Tonight, we all feel anger and shame,” Macron said in the televised address from the Elysee Palace, according to NPR and Agence France-Presse. He said “nothing justifies, nothing excuses” the violence and drew a line between protesters with “legitimate demands” and “those who destroyed, smashed, and looted.”
The president vowed the authorities would be “uncompromising” toward “agitators from ultra-left fringe groups, joined by numerous delinquents.” He said local authorities could ban rallies “if necessary” in the coming days, but announced no state of emergency and no curfew. Macron is not the only leader managing a crisis that crosses borders this month, as foreign crises keep colliding with domestic politics.
Nearly 2,400 people were arrested on Saturday, according to the latest interior ministry figures, and almost 1,000 police and gendarmes were injured, seven of them seriously. On Sunday there were new clashes in Paris: police fired tear gas and stun grenades, 108 people were arrested, and at least five stores were looted around Republique square.
What comes next
Macron promised “full transparency” over the security forces’ response after criticism that police preparations were inadequate, and said he asked Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to “draw all necessary lessons,” especially on intelligence gathering. The protests began weeks ago as school blockades over teacher shortages and crowded classrooms before expanding to cost of living and fuel price grievances, with around 550,000 demonstrators taking part on Saturday according to reports.
The address marks a test for a presidency trying to show it hears “legitimate demands” while drawing a hard line on violence. How local authorities use the new power to ban rallies, and what the interior minister’s review finds, will shape the coming days. The response also lands amid wider geopolitical strain across Europe and beyond.
