French President Emmanuel Macron condemned violent protests and looting that erupted across France over the weekend, vowing to hold rioters accountable as the country reeled from some of its worst unrest in years.
In a televised address on Sunday evening, Macron expressed the nation’s “anger and shame” over the devastation, which included the burning of Limoges’ 19th-century City Hall, attacks on public buildings, and widespread looting in cities such as Paris, Marseille, and Lyon. “How can French people do this to France?” he asked, denouncing the “unbridled violence” as inexplicable and unforgivable .
Authorities reported at least 2,400 arrests nationwide and nearly 1,000 injured police officers, with 855 arrests in Paris alone . The protests, initially driven by student anger over poor school conditions, expanded into a broader movement against rising living costs and deteriorating public services, drawing an estimated 550,000 demonstrators across 110 marches .
Macron distinguished between peaceful protesters with “legitimate demands” and those who “destroyed, smashed, and looted,” pledging full transparency in investigating the police response and allowing prefects to ban protests if necessary to protect public buildings and businesses . He rejected the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, despite acknowledging security “failures” that permitted the violence .
Fresh clashes persisted on Sunday in Paris and other cities, with police deploying tear gas and stun grenades as masked groups set fires and attempted to ransack businesses . Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was set to convene a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday to address the fallout .
