Macron speaks of 'anger and shame' after riots; nearly 2,400 arrested and 1,000 officers hurt in a day

President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that he felt “anger and shame” at what he called attempts “to bring down the republic”, after a day of looting, arson and street battles that left France with some of its worst urban violence in years.

Speaking on television after chairing an interministerial crisis meeting at the Elysee Palace, Macron promised that rioters and looters would “pay for their crimes”. The Interior Ministry said nearly 2,400 people had been arrested on Saturday and about 1,000 police officers and gendarmes had been injured.

Macron drew a line between the people he said had “legitimate demands” and those who smashed and stole. Officers, he said, had faced “unprecedented violence in several cities”. “We need unity, we need calm and respect,” he said.

He announced a crisis unit to get urgent help to people hit by the damage and asked the government for a review of lessons learned. He promised more security on the streets, but did not declare a state of emergency or impose a curfew.

A weekend of damage

France’s three largest cities spent Sunday clearing up. In Paris, windows and shopfronts were smashed at the Les Halles shopping centre, around the Paris Opera and at several big-name stores. In Lyon, firefighters fought a blaze at the city’s tourist office, leaving its facade scorched, while nearby shops were vandalised and looted. Young people turned out to help with the clean-up. In Marseille, crews hosed down Rue Saint-Ferreol, and the city opened an information point for businesses that had been hit.

The movement began with student unions angry about underfunded schools, crumbling buildings and a shortage of teachers. It widened when the Gilets Jaunes, or Yellow Vests, joined in with their own grievances over austerity cuts, living costs and fuel prices.

The politics of disorder

The unrest is fast becoming a campaign issue ahead of next year’s presidential election, and Macron’s opponents on both flanks moved quickly.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, the left-wing presidential candidate, said the government was “solely responsible” for the destruction because it had failed to keep public order. On the far right, Jordan Bardella called the president’s speech “lamentable” and “cowardly”, saying the government could not protect its citizens.

France is not alone. Cost-of-living protests have turned violent in Italy and Belgium in recent days, and in Albania students have been on the streets of Tirana for nearly a week.

Whether Sunday’s address calms the streets is far from certain. Macron offered security and aid rather than new concessions to the students and Yellow Vests, and his promise of firmer policing has yet to be tested.