The key facts

  • On Saturday, around half a million people took to the streets in cost-of-living protests; the demonstrations escalated into pogroms and looting.
  • More than 2,500 detained, nearly 1,000 security personnel injured; one demonstrator had an arm torn off by a police grenade.
  • Macron rejected Nuñez's resignation and demanded a revision of security forces' methods and transparency in the investigation of the failures.

The Minister's Admission and the Rejected Resignation

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted on Monday that the police had 'lost control' during the nationwide protests over the weekend, which were accompanied by violence. 'On Saturday, in some major cities, after the looting of hundreds of stores, it was impossible to look shop owners in the eye and say that we had not lost control,' Nuñez said. He acknowledged a 'lack of foresight' in the deployment of forces: by his estimate, about 60,000 law enforcement officers were deployed across the country that day, which was not enough against crowds of rioters and looters on the fringes of the demonstrations. Nuñez submitted his resignation, saying that 'given the damage caused, it was the right thing to do,' but President Emmanuel Macron rejected it, citing, according to the Élysée Palace, 'the need to continue leading the law enforcement agencies.'

Macron's Directives and the Scale of the Riots

Macron, acknowledging failures in security and intelligence in the government's response, instructed Nuñez to 'take all necessary measures to ensure transparency regarding the failures in planning and intelligence that led to the violence,' as well as to swiftly implement new operational methods for security forces on the ground to combat rioters. On Saturday, around half a million people across France took part in protests against the cost of living, but they escalated into some of the worst riots in recent years: town halls and stores were looted and set on fire. More than 2,500 people were detained, nearly 1,000 security personnel were injured; there are also casualties among the protesters — one demonstrator had an arm torn off by a police rubber-bullet grenade.

Continued Looting and Damage Assessment

Looting continued into Sunday: Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said on Monday that about 30 stores in the capital had been damaged the previous day, calling what was happening 'unbearable.' Nuñez reported approximately 350 people detained in Paris on Sunday and overnight. According to Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, more than 2,330 people were taken into police custody across the country over the weekend, 70% of them adults. President of the chamber of commerce Alain Di Crescenzo expects that more than 2,000 stores across France were affected over the weekend, with damage amounting to 'hundreds of millions of euros.'

The President's Reaction and Context

In an address to the nation on Sunday evening, Macron condemned the 'unbridled' violence and said that local authorities would be able to ban individual gatherings if necessary in the coming days. However, he did not announce harsh measures such as a state of emergency or a curfew. Saturday's protests followed four weeks of high school student demonstrations, which at times also turned violent.