French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday expressed the public’s “anger” and “shame” over nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools that have resulted in at least 1,800 arrests.
Speaking in an address to the nation, Macron said: “Those who looted will have to pay back for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable.”
He pointed to “unrestrained violence” by “insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals.”
Macron said that he will travel to Gulf countries starting Monday to secure France’s fuel and gas supplies as the conflict in the Persian Gulf continues to drive up energy prices.
He said France was suffering the consequences of a conflict in which it had not participated, acknowledging that he is aware that French citizens expect “concrete results.”
“The government is doing everything it can to address this essential issue of purchasing power,” Macron said.
Macron has earlier held an emergency meeting with senior government officials, a day after masked groups set fires and attacked public buildings, including city halls, in several cities. He said he had instructed prefects to work with mayors to protect public buildings and businesses in the coming weeks, including by banning protests when necessary.
Flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall in the city of Limoges, in central France, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building.
Hundreds of protesters gathered again on Sunday at the Place de la République in Paris amid a heavy police presence. Officers used tear gas as tensions flared sporadically in the neighborhood, with small groups of people trying to set bicycles and trash bins on fire.
“The right to protest is a fundamental right. Deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence is not,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez wrote on X, citing the looting of hundreds of businesses in cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux.
About 550,000 people took part in protests across France, according to authorities, while organisers put the figure at about 800,000. Demonstrators answered calls from a labor union, student organisations and activists hoping to revive the “yellow vest” movement, which emerged in 2018 to protest social injustice.
