Macron admits intelligence failures and refuses interior minister’s resignation after France’s worst unrest in years

President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged failures in anticipation and intelligence after France endured its worst unrest in years. He refused the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who had attempted to step down as violent protests over living costs and public service cuts left cities across the country scarred by arson and looting.

About 550,000 people demonstrated on Saturday, according to authorities, though the CGT union put the figure at 800,000. Nearly 1,000 police officers were injured. Seven of them were seriously hurt. Almost 2,400 people were arrested. An estimated 1,500 shops and businesses were looted and destroyed. The protests were driven by rising living costs and dwindling public services, and they originated from a student movement over teacher shortages and school conditions that began last month before swelling into a nationwide convulsion. While hundreds of thousands marched peacefully, violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, looted shops, and attacked police in cities across the country. Riot police fired tear gas and turned water cannon on crowds. Officers were seen hitting people with batons in several places.

Scenes of destruction across France

The 143-year-old town hall in Limoges, in central France, was set ablaze and largely destroyed in an arson attack. “There was a clear, premeditated intention to burn down the town hall, and the people inside feared for their lives,” Mayor Guillaume Guérin told Reuters on Sunday. Protesters forced their way into Marseille’s city hall. In Lyon, a tourist office burned. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said up to 100 stores there were looted. In Paris, where 110,000 people marched, police fired tear gas and stun grenades Sunday afternoon at Place de la République, and bicycles were set on fire. One protester died of cardiac arrest during demonstrations in the capital. Police said in a statement that provided no further details. “Things are dark in the City of Light,” read graffiti daubed in red paint across a wall adjacent to a row of shattered shops in Paris on Sunday night.

Macron addresses a shaken nation

Macron delivered a televised address to the nation on Sunday evening. “Looking at these images, we have all asked ourselves: What was going through their minds? How can French people do this to France?” he said. “Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it.” He blamed the violence on radical far-left groups and delinquents, pledging an uncompromising response, and he stopped short of declaring a state of emergency or imposing a curfew. Macron asked the government to bring together students, teachers, lawmakers, unions, and business leaders this week to produce concrete proposals to address the crisis. He said prefects and mayors would be allowed to ban certain gatherings where necessary to protect public buildings and local businesses. Economy Minister Roland Lescure vowed government support for business owners who suffered losses. “Those who break things will pay, repair the damage and be held accountable for their intention to sow chaos,” he said in a statement reported by Reuters. Macron’s speech was roundly criticised in the French media for lacking concrete detail.

Political pressure as election looms

Macron is widely viewed in France as a lame-duck president. The vote comes in six months. Parliament is paralysed. It is divided between three vying political blocks. Far-right opposition leader Marine Le Pen, frontrunner for next year’s presidential campaign, characterized the government as “running on fumes, exhausted and disoriented.” Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the far-left opposition leader also running for president, has pressed Macron to answer the demands of protesting students. Sophie Binet, secretary general of the CGT union, accused Macron of failing to address students’ concerns, the cost-of-living crisis, and dwindling public services. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the lower house of parliament, wants to open an inquiry into what happened. “While we worry for our safety, they use this situation as a pre-presidential election political football,” Edouard, a teacher and father of three, told the BBC. The race to succeed Macron is adding to tensions in France, in politics as well as on the streets.

Markets sell off as budget vote looms

French bond markets sold off Monday as the political crisis compounded an already difficult fiscal backdrop. The yield on the benchmark 10-year French bond rose 7.5 basis points to 4.855%. French and Italian stock markets both tumbled more than 1%. France’s debt burden has reached a record €3.6 trillion, equivalent to 119% of GDP in the second quarter, and is becoming increasingly expensive to service. The government seeks €54 billion ($61 billion) in fiscal savings in its 2027 budget, and the National Assembly is due to hold a formal vote on the first part of the budget bill on Tuesday. Investors are pressing France to rein in its spiralling public debt, but the government worries that cutting public services or welfare will drive yet more angry people onto the streets.

What comes next

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is holding an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday. Students start their half-term break the same day, the BBC reported, and authorities hope for a respite. Trade unions and the gilets jaunes movement have announced mass demonstrations for 5 November, according to the BBC.