Macron under pressure from opposition after address; looting continues in Paris
French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu is set to hold a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday after the country faced a weekend of violent riots and looting across the country.
Protests that started peacefully turned violent as masked activists and vandals took over and rampaged across several cities.
Around 1,500 stores and businesses reported being looted and destroyed.
France's interior ministry said that 1000 police officers were injured on Saturday.
Clashes in Paris continued as French president Emmanuel Macron made an address on Sunday.
The Paris police prefecture reported that it made around 108 arrests on Sunday, including 66 in the evening.
They said that at least 5 stores, including a clothing store, a Darty in Belleville, and two supermarkets, were looted.
Macron's address meanwhile garnered backlash even from his own party. Critics said that his address about the shame and anger did little to explain the concrete measures that would be taken after the weekend of chaos. There had earlier been rumours that the French president would declare an emergency or set up a temporary curfew to help return to normalcy.
However, the address only called for national unity and the president assured that the violent vandals would be punished.
Former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe took to X to say, “Like millions of French people, I would have preferred decisions and initiatives that would allow for a return to order and the re-establishment of state authority, the punishment of looters and vandals," as well as "a detailed method for restoring discussion with high school students and trade union organisations,"
Former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau also criticised the President, saying Emmanuel Macron's intervention is very worrying. The President of the Republic appears completely overwhelmed, incapable of opposing the force of the State to the chaos that threatens the Republic," he wrote on X, calling on him to "take responsibility" and "declare a state of emergency to protect the French people. "
Another opposition leader also weighed in. Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens and presidential candidate, on X, said, "Instead of even a semblance of apology, Emmanuel Macron summons us to Matignon like children to the blackboard at school to 'obtain clear and public positions.' If we go to Matignon, it will be to work on solutions to the social, environmental, and democratic crises. Not for a disciplinary hearing,"
Meanwhile, on Monday Macron rejected the resignation of interior minister Laurent Nuñez. He then asked the minister to deploy "as quickly as possible on the ground new methods of action against the rioters," the Elysée announced. "Given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context, the President of the Republic has refused" the presidents office said on the resignation.
A part of the trade union in France, the 'yellow vests' meanwhile has announced that they will hold more protests on November 5. The unions are calling for a strike due to rising costs of Fuel, groceries, rents, and energy costs while wages and pensions remain low.
