Macron expressed anger and shame over riots in France. Nearly 2,400 people were arrested on Saturday, officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed anger and shame on Sunday over what he called attempts by violent protesters to bring down the republic. He promised that rioters and looters would pay for their crimes, a day after some of the worst urban violence in France in years.
In a televised address after a crisis meeting at the Élysée Palace, Macron said France’s interior ministry counted nearly 2,400 arrests on Saturday, with about 1,000 police officers and gendarmes injured. Earlier tallies were lower, with the government reporting at least 1,200 arrests and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu citing 150 injured officers. Macron said law enforcement officers faced unprecedented violence in several cities and drew a distinction between protesters with legitimate demands and those who destroyed and looted.
Macron announced a crisis unit to provide urgent aid to people affected by the violence and said lessons would be learned. He ordered a review of whether there were intelligence or police preparation failures ahead of the protests, The Jerusalem Post reported. Macron said prefects and mayors will be given the authority to ban certain gatherings if needed. He blamed the violence on what he called insurrectionary elements of the radical far left, who he said were joined by numerous criminals. He did not announce a state of emergency or a curfew, Al Jazeera reported.
The protests began as student demonstrations over school conditions and cost-of-living concerns. They have become a political issue ahead of next year’s presidential election. Left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon said the government is solely responsible for the destruction and failed to organize the maintenance of public order. Far-right politician Jordan Bardella called Macron’s speech lamentable and cowardly and said the government cannot even protect the French people. Al Jazeera’s reporter in Paris said protesters told her they are tired of hearing such speeches from the president.
Information for this report was provided by Al Jazeera and The Jerusalem Post via UA.News.