French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly condemned the riots on the sidelines of protests against the high cost of living and deficiencies in the education system. “Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it,” Macron said in a televised address to the nation that evening. "Tonight we all feel anger and shame."
Macron said new demonstrations could be banned if necessary: "Given the current situation, the prefects, in coordination with the mayors, will take decisions to protect our cities, our public buildings and our businesses, even going so far as to ban certain gatherings and take all necessary measures if necessary."
"Whoever destroyed must pay for it"
The government called an emergency meeting after the violent unrest. In the evening, Macron discussed the situation with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and the responsible ministers. In his speech he then announced a review of police operations. It must be clarified whether there were any failures in the intelligence services' collection of information or in the preparation of the security forces in the run-up to the protests.
The rioters would be punished and held accountable, said Macron. "Those who destroyed must pay for it. Those who plundered must compensate for the damage. Those who tried to overthrow the republic will be held accountable."
According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, 2,000 people were arrested in the nationwide riots on Saturday. Across the country, 600 police officers and firefighters were injured. In Paris, a protester suffered cardiac arrest and died.
Clashes broke out again at Place de la République in Paris on Sunday when police broke up an "unannounced" gathering in the afternoon. She used tear gas. Fires were set again in the capital.
Looting and serious damage
The devastation was visible in many places. In central Paris, streets were littered with rubbish, demolished bicycles and items from looted shops. Almost 1,000 street cleaning workers were called into service on Sunday to clear the streets of Paris from traces of the riots.
In Limoges, the magnificent, listed town hall was partially destroyed by fire. “Thanks to the emergency measures, the rear part of the building was saved,” said the prefect of the Haute-Vienne department, Maurice Barate, to the broadcaster BFMTV. Looting and severe damage were also reported in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice and other cities.
The interior minister said the damage was immense, especially for the hundreds of business people affected. The mayor of Bordeaux, Thomas Cazenave, said up to 100 shops had been looted in his city. The mayor of Marseille, Benoit Payan, announced emergency financial aid for the affected companies.
Protests against high prices and savings
According to authorities, around 550,000 people took part in the protests across the country. The organizers even spoke of 800,000 demonstrators. Various organizations had called for the day of protest against high costs of living, social inequality and cuts in public funding. It was about fuel prices, the large number of low-wage workers and problems in agriculture and the fire service.
Pupils and students in France have already demonstrated for better learning conditions in recent weeks. They demand more teachers, smaller classes and better equipment. The protests come against the backdrop of the debate about an austerity budget that the government wants to get through parliament. This also provides for cuts in the education sector.
To deal with the crisis, Macron called on the government to bring together representatives of students, teachers, parliamentarians, unions and business this week. The aim is to develop concrete proposals.
Pressure on the government is growing
A few months before the presidential election in France, the protests are increasing the pressure on President Macron and his government. Macron himself is no longer running in the election. The right-wing populist Marine Le Pen and the left-wing populist Jean-Luc Mélenchon were recently ahead in surveys.
