After violence during protests in France: Macron calls a crisis meeting

After the severe unrest during nationwide mass protests, the government in France has called an emergency meeting for the evening. President Emmanuel Macron wants to discuss the situation with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and the responsible ministers and then address the nation. The Elysée Palace said the speech was scheduled for 8 p.m.

According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, 2,000 people were arrested in nationwide demonstrations with violent riots on Saturday. Across the country, 600 police officers and firefighters were injured. Investigations are underway to bring those responsible for the violence, property damage and looting to justice, the interior minister said. In Paris, a protester suffered cardiac arrest and died.

Looting and serious damage

The devastation is visible in many places. 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 reported in Paris, 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. In many cities, people were shocked to see the destruction.

Broken windows, burned out cars

The clean-up began in Paris today. “The traces can be seen in many places in the city,” reports ARD correspondent Michael Strempel. On tagesschau24 he describes scenes of smashed windows, looted shops, burned-out cars and burned-out electric bicycles. "It's impressive how quickly Paris cleans up." But many people woke up today and asked themselves whether what they had experienced yesterday was really true.

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. Pupils and students in France have already demonstrated for better learning conditions in recent weeks.

Pressure on the government is growing

"I have no words to describe what I could never have imagined experiencing in this city," said Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan. "This is more than just dismay." Hordes of rioters and looters attacked public property and undermined the demands of those who wanted to demonstrate lawfully.

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.