Riots: After protests: Macron rejects resignation of Interior Minister

France's Interior Minister Nuñez: "I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that happens." Photo: AFP

Paris. After the serious riots in France at the weekend, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered to resign - but President Emmanuel Macron rejected this.

“I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that happens,” Nuñez told France Inter broadcaster.

Macron rejected this, citing “the need for continued leadership of the law enforcement forces under the current circumstances,” the Élysée Palace said.

Macron asked the Interior Minister to clarify what “deficiencies in foresight and information gathering” led to the serious riots.

“In order to put an end to the building of barricades and looting, he has also called on the Interior Minister to introduce new procedures on site as quickly as possible for the internal security forces in the fight against rioters,” the Élysée Palace continued.

The Interior Minister said that there was a lack of “forward-looking action” in the mobilization of the law enforcement forces.

“There was of course an imbalance” between the law enforcement officers and the people on the street as well as “a loss of control.”

Nuñez said that “everything will be done to ensure that something like this does not happen again.”

Macron had said in a televised speech the evening before that police work was being examined, something he had asked the Interior Minister to do.

On Saturday, despite their professionalism, the emergency services were confronted with unprecedented violence in numerous cities, said Macron.

Something like this shouldn't happen again.

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