French President Emmanuel Macron vows rioters will face accountability as at least 1,800 people are arrested during nationwide protests.
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to hold rioters accountable for looting and attacks on public buildings as nationwide protests over rising living costs and poor school conditions leave at least 1,800 people arrested.
“Those who looted will have to pay back for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable,” Macron said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday.
The president said he shared the public’s “anger” and “shame” over the violence, blaming what he described as “unrestrained violence” on “insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals.”
Macron’s remarks followed an emergency meeting with senior government officials on Saturday, a day after masked groups set fires and attacked public buildings, including town halls, in several French cities.
He said he had instructed local prefects to work with mayors to protect public buildings and businesses in the coming weeks, including by banning demonstrations where necessary.
One of the worst incidents occurred in Limoges, central France, where fire engulfed the 19th-century town hall, causing its roof to collapse and leaving the historic building close to destruction.
Protests continued on Sunday in Paris, where hundreds gathered at Place de la République under a heavy police presence. Officers fired tear gas as tensions flared, with small groups attempting to set bicycles and rubbish bins on fire.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez defended the right to peaceful demonstrations while condemning the violence and looting.
“The right to protest is a fundamental right. Deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence is not,” Nuñez wrote on X.
He cited the looting of hundreds of businesses in cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux.
Authorities estimated that about 550,000 people participated in demonstrations across France, while organisers put the figure at approximately 800,000.
The protests followed calls by a labour union, student organisations and activists seeking to revive the “yellow vest” movement, which emerged in 2018 to challenge social injustice.
Mass demonstrations in France have frequently been accompanied by violence involving smaller groups, leading to clashes with police. The latest arrest figure approaches the nearly 2,000 people arrested nationwide in a single day of yellow vest protests in December 2018.
Paris police also reported that one person died of a heart attack during the unrest. The force did not provide further details, while the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed an investigation was under way.
