French leader Emmanuel Macron has called for peace following some of the worst civil unrest France has witnessed in years, which resulted in thousands of arrests, nearly a thousand injured police officers, and widespread looting and damage to businesses.
Fresh clashes broke out in Paris and Marseille on Sunday, as riot police intervened to prevent attempts to ransack businesses. The violence followed nationwide demonstrations on Saturday over rising living costs and declining public services.
The protests descended into riots, with a town hall set ablaze, shops looted and public buildings covered in graffiti as violent groups clashed with police in cities across the country.
“Looking at these images, we have all asked ourselves: What was going through their minds? How can French people do this to France?” Macron said in a televised address to the nation.
“Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it. Tonight, we all feel anger and shame.”
The unrest has exposed deep public anger towards Macron, who is due to leave office in 2027 after a decade in power increasingly defined by social discontent, a weak economy and mounting public debt.
Macron acknowledged that peaceful protesters had legitimate grievances, but said their actions should not be confused with those seeking to cause destruction.
He stopped short of declaring a state of emergency, as demanded by some right-wing politicians. However, he said the government would take steps to allow prefects to ban protests where necessary to protect public buildings and local businesses.
Paris Protests ‘Like A War Zone’
The government blamed the violence on what it described as ultra-left groups and criminals who had instigated looting.
One protester died on Saturday after suffering a cardiac arrest during demonstrations in Paris. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police had made 2,400 arrests across France, while nearly 1,000 officers were injured.
Police clashed with protesters again on Sunday afternoon, firing tear gas at Place de la Republique in Paris. Protesters also set fire to piles of bicycles, with a Reuters witness reporting several hundred people in the area.
A major clean-up operation began in cities across France, from Lille in the north to Marseille in the south, and from Strasbourg in the east to Bordeaux in the southwest. In Bordeaux, a masked mob invaded the residence of the local prefect.
“It’s like a war zone here!” exclaimed Dutch entrepreneur Tije De Boer, who was visiting Paris with his children. He said the unrest forced him to evacuate his hotel at Place de la Republique.
More than 500,000 people joined demonstrations in dozens of cities on Saturday, bringing together a month-long student movement and wider public discontent over rising living costs and declining public services.
Hundreds Of Shops Damaged
Although hundreds of thousands of people protested peacefully on Saturday, violent groups targeted public buildings, looted luxury boutiques and supermarkets, and attacked police vehicles and officers.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally and a frontrunner in next year’s presidential campaign, also called for calm. She said France must not become accustomed to images of the country being battered, abused and ransacked.
“Violence is not an opinion. Destruction is not a form of expression. And chaos cannot serve as a project for France,” she said in a video address.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the presidential candidate of the hard-left France Unbowed party, said Macron needed to respond to the demands of protesting high-school students.
In Limoges, a city known for its porcelain, the town hall’s clock tower collapsed in a fiery blaze, reviving memories of the 2019 fire that devastated Paris’ Notre Dame cathedral.
Mayor Guillaume Guerin said the national police had not deployed enough officers to his city.
“There was a clear, premeditated intention to burn down the town hall, and the people inside feared for their lives,” Guerin told Reuters on Sunday.
He threatened to resign if the city did not receive the funding required to repair the town hall.
Economy Minister Roland Lescure pledged government support for business owners who suffered losses during the unrest.
“Those who break things will pay, repair the damage and be held accountable for their intention to sow chaos,” Lescure said in a statement.
Alexandre Bompard, chief executive of French retailer Carrefour, told French broadcaster BFMTV that 50 of the company’s shops had been damaged, including 20 that were looted.
The losses from the damage are estimated to run into tens of millions of euros.
What You Should Know
France has been gripped by intense nationwide protests and riots sparked by public frustration over rising living costs and declining public services. The demonstrations quickly escalated into violent clashes with police, leaving public buildings torched, businesses looted, and millions of euros in damages.
- Positive Impact: The government has pledged immediate financial support and compensation to business owners who suffered losses during the riots.
- Potential Concerns: The escalating social unrest poses significant security risks, disrupts daily commerce, and highlights deep-seated economic and political challenges facing the country.
