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 2,300 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.” Read more'Like we had a war': France left reeling after nationwide violent protests Earlier that day, Macron 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. In the central town of Limoges, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building.
Hundreds of protesters gathered again Sunday at the Place de la République in Paris amid a heavy police presence. Officers used tear gas as tensions flared sporadically in the neighbourhood, with small groups of people trying to set bicycles and trash bins on fire. 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 labour union, student organisations and activists hoping to revive the “yellow vest” movement, which emerged in 2018 to protest social injustice. Mass protests in France are often marred by violence on the fringes of otherwise peaceful marches, leading to clashes with police.
The arrest tally reported Sunday approached the nearly 2,000 recorded nationwide during a single day of yellow vest protests in December 2018. One person died of a heart attack, Paris police said in a statement, without providing details. The Paris prosecutor’s office said it was investigating.
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Dislodged cobblestones, shattered storefronts and broken glass littered the area around Paris’ Place de la République on Sunday. Looting and damage were also reported in other tourist and shopping districts. Paris police said 855 people were arrested in the capital region.
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