Macron says ‘nothing justifies’ scenes of violence in France
French president Emmanuel Macron said that ‘nothing justifies’ the violence seen across France on Saturday night, but promised a series of meetings to try and address the worries of the many thousands of people who had protested peacefully over the rising cost of living.
Macron made a TV broadcast to the nation on Sunday, the day after protests erupted into incidents of violence, arson and looting – including the burning down of the town hall in Limoges.
He said that “nothing explains, excuses or justifies” the scenes of violence and looting.
“Seeing the streets of our towns and cities ransacked like this is unbearable,” he said, blaming “far left factions” for the violence.
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But he acknowledged that the violence was committed by a small minority, while hundreds of thousands of people took part in peaceful demos over the rising cost of living, while students continue to call for more resources for education.
He promised that prime minister Sébastien Lecornu will host a series of meetings in the days and weeks to come to try and address the legitimate concerns expressed.
But he described the scenes of violence, in which thousands of shops were looted and hundreds of police injured as “entirely unacceptable”.
“We must never confuse protesters with legitimate demands with those who have destroyed, vandalised or looted – with them we will be uncompromising.”
He said that local authorities will be able to “take the necessary decisions to protect their towns”, which could include banning certain demos or marches.
He also promised “total transparency” on the policing strategy, with many saying intelligence failures contributed to the failure to stop the violence.
With France just six months away from choosing a new president, he added that the country “deserves a good election” and that debates should take place in the political arena, not with street violence.
Meanwhile the Interior Ministry said that 2,397 people were arrested on Saturday, with almost 1,000 police officers and gendarmes injured, seven of them seriously.
Among the protesters, a 17-year-old girl lost an eye after being hit by a rubber bullet and a teenage boy lost a hand to a police grenade.
