Macron decries 'unbridled' violence as France hit by new clashes

photo: collected

Following severe cost-of-living protests marked by clashes between police, protesters, and looters, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "unbridled" violence on Sunday.

According to the interior ministry, Saturday's unrest led to nearly 2,400 arrests—some of the worst urban violence France has seen in years—and left nearly 1,000 police and gendarmes injured, seven of them seriously.

In response, Macron announced that local authorities will have the power to ban certain rallies if necessary, though he avoided enacting stricter measures like a curfew or a state of emergency.

"Tonight, we all feel anger and shame," Macron said of the devastation brought by the protests that included town halls burned down and hundreds of businesses looted or damaged.

"Looking at these images, we all asked ourselves: what is going through their minds? How can French people do this to France?" said Macron, who insisted there must be a distinction between protesters with "legitimate demands" and "those who destroyed, smashed, and looted".

He vowed the authorities would be "uncompromising" towards the "agitators from ultra-left fringe groups, joined by numerous delinquents" who "unleashed unbridled violence in our cities".

AFP journalists said police fired tear gas and stun grenades Sunday at hundreds of people gathered in a Paris square following social media calls for a gathering that authorities said had not been approved.

Bottles and rocks were hurled at police, who made 108 arrests across the city, according to authorities. At least five stores were looted around Republique square.

Other stores in central Paris also had windows smashed and the city hall told many to close. In the southeastern city of Lyon, police battled youths who attempted to loot a luxury clothing store.

Source: The Standard