Macron rejects the resignation of the Interior Minister over the riot fiasco

The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Núñez, is not for now the scapegoat for the great crisis of public order that France is suffering. The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, has rejected his resignation due to the fiasco of the serious riots that have occurred since Saturday, with more than 2,000 businesses looted.

The head of state's explanations, however, suggest that Núñez's continuity in the position is threatened and that he maintains it for simple practical reasons, given "the current context" and the need for "continuous command of the forces of order." It is also a scheduling problem. Macron will be absent from the country for several days due to a tour of four countries in the Persian Gulf (Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar)

The minister, of Spanish descent, admitted in a radio interview his responsibility for not having anticipated the virulence of the protest nor having organized sufficient means to contain it. The ruling is surprising considering Núñez's extensive experience in internal security issues. For several years, when the yellow vest revolt took place, he was number two in the ministry. He also held the head of the internal intelligence services, the national anti-terrorist entity and was prefect of police of Marseille and Paris. He was in the latter role during the 2024 Olympic Games, which passed without incident.

Accusations have been leveled at the Government from sectors of the left of wanting to "rot" the student protest movement, which is why they have deliberately allowed the demonstrations to degenerate into riots and thus discredit the mobilizations and not address their demands. These reproaches are heard on the street among those who participate in the marches, but they are also heard by political figures, such as this Monday the mayor of Paris, the socialist Emmanuel Grégoire.

Faced with such an unstable situation - on Sunday night there was looting again in Paris -, Núñez considered "a hypothesis", without ruling it out, the declaration of the "state of emergency", a constitutional instrument equivalent to the state of exception in Spain, which allows the suspension of fundamental rights such as assembly and demonstration. In reality, departmental prefects are already empowered to prohibit demonstrations, as was done this Monday in Marseille between noon and 8 p.m. Former Macronist Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, candidate for the Elysée, spoke of the possibility of temporarily resorting to the Army to guarantee order.

In Paris there is some concern about the Champions League match this Tuesday between PSG and Barcelona. At the moment there is no talk of suspending the meeting, but security will be reinforced because these are occasions with a high risk of riots in the street.