French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the destruction of government buildings and widespread looting during Saturday’s riots, announcing security reviews and emergency assistance while opposition leaders criticized his government’s handling of the unrest.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
French President Emmanuel Macron announced new security measures, investigations into police preparedness and emergency assistance for businesses Sunday, Oct. 18, following nationwide riots that left historic buildings destroyed, commercial districts looted and hundreds of police officers injured.
In a nationally televised address from the Élysée Palace, Macron blamed extremist groups and criminal elements for exploiting demonstrations over education, living costs and fuel prices. His remarks came as opposition leaders accused the government of failing to address the conditions behind the unrest.
The president’s official address was his first major national response since student protests began nearly a month earlier and subsequently developed into a broader movement involving labor unions and other organizations.
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Saturday’s demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands of participants across France, but violence erupted in numerous cities as masked groups attacked police, set fires and entered public buildings.
Among the most serious incidents was the destruction of Limoges City Hall, an 1883 landmark whose tower collapsed during an arson attack. Rioters also set fire to Lyon’s tourism office, entered Marseille City Hall and attacked the official residence of the Gironde prefect in Bordeaux.
Macron questioned how demonstrators could inflict such extensive damage on their own country.
“How can French people do this to France?” he asked.
“Why burn down the town hall in Limoges, the tourist office in Lyon, storm the town hall in Marseille, or attack the prefect’s residence in Bordeaux? How can they go so far? Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it. We all feel anger and shame tonight. Seeing the streets of our cities so ransacked is unbearable.”
The president attributed the violence to extremist groups associated with the radical left and individuals engaged in criminal activity, while emphasizing that peaceful demonstrators should not be held responsible for the destruction.
He distinguished the rioters from the “several hundred thousand of our fellow citizens [who] demonstrated with the intention of making legitimate demands.”
Macron said the government must address public concerns without permitting vandalism and assaults to overshadow peaceful political expression.
“Our responsibility is therefore twofold: to listen to the anger and address its root causes, and to firmly uphold the rule of law. We must not confuse legitimate demands with violence, nor allow violence to prevent these demands from being heard,” he said.
The president ordered a review of intelligence gathering and security preparations to determine why authorities were unable to prevent the widespread destruction.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin were instructed to examine the response and ensure that criminal cases proceed against those responsible.
Macron also announced that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu would chair a crisis meeting Monday to coordinate emergency assistance for businesses and communities affected by the unrest.
The government intends to pursue financial compensation from individuals convicted of damaging property, although the full cost of rebuilding destroyed public buildings and repairing commercial districts remains undetermined.
Macron’s government also plans to allow local authorities to restrict certain gatherings where officials determine that public safety is threatened.
The president addressed the economic grievances that helped expand the original student demonstrations, particularly rising fuel prices and pressure on household budgets.
He attributed much of the recent increase in energy costs to the conflict involving the United States and Iran, emphasizing that France had not participated in the fighting.
“I fully understand their concern. It is also being expressed in several other European capitals. In this regard, I have taken several initiatives at the international level to guarantee our fuel and gas supplies and to act on the energy markets. I will continue these actions tomorrow morning by travelling to the Gulf countries to secure our supplies,” Macron said.
The planned visit to Gulf nations is intended to strengthen French access to energy supplies amid disruptions to international oil and gas markets.
The unrest has also exposed concerns among young people about education funding, employment opportunities and future living standards.
Macron acknowledged what he described as “profound anxiety” among students over “living and studying conditions, about their ability to choose a path, to plan for the future, to find their place in society.”
He promised consultations involving students, teachers, labor representatives, employers and elected officials to develop proposals addressing those concerns.
However, the president’s address did not directly discuss immigration as a potential factor in the disturbances, despite claims from some opposition politicians linking the unrest to France’s immigration policies.
Those claims remain politically contested, and the national origins or immigration backgrounds of the people responsible for Saturday’s violence have not been established through comprehensive public data.
The omission nevertheless drew criticism from right-wing political figures who argue that immigration and failures of integration should be included in any examination of the unrest.
National Rally leader Marine Le Pen rejected the suggestion that widespread public anger should be equated with support for violence.
“There are millions of French people who are angry, but who are not breaking anything, not looting anything,” Le Pen said Sunday.
She described the government as “on its last legs, exhausted, disoriented” and argued that it “seems incapable of doing anything other than commenting on its own impotence.”
National Rally President Jordan Bardella dismissed the televised address as a “lamentable speech.”
“This cowardly and disoriented power has nothing left to say to the French people, nothing left to offer them. It no longer even has the strength to protect them,” Bardella said.
Éric Zemmour, leader of the Reconquête party and another presidential contender, similarly criticized Macron’s response while explicitly connecting the unrest to immigration.
“Emmanuel Macron spoke just to say nothing, as usual. He wonders what’s going on in their heads. The French, for their part, wonder what’s going on in his, for having let in 500,000 foreigners a year for the past 10 years,” Zemmour wrote on X.
In a subsequent statement, Zemmour accused rioters of hostility toward France and its institutions.
“It is not misery that unites these rioters. It is their hatred of France. They live in the same cultural and religious bath, and they repeat that France colonised and robbed them. As long as France apologises, they will believe they have the right to take revenge.”
Those comments represent Zemmour’s political interpretation of the disturbances rather than findings established by investigators.
The unrest also prompted criticism from local officials, including mayors who questioned whether police had adequate intelligence and resources to respond to simultaneous incidents across multiple cities.
Authorities have faced scrutiny over the destruction of Limoges City Hall and the extensive looting in Paris, where businesses reported severe damage.
The Associated Press reported that the latest national arrest total had reached approximately 2,400 by Sunday, substantially exceeding the preliminary figures announced during Saturday’s demonstrations. Hundreds of emergency personnel were also reported injured.
The president’s response comes approximately six months before France’s next presidential election, in which Macron is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term.
He urged political parties and activists to resolve their disagreements through democratic debate rather than confrontations in the streets.
“France is a great democratic force. It deserves these debates. They must take place in public meetings. They must take place with the political parties, and not in the streets through violence. They must take place in newspapers, on television programs, in peaceful gatherings, where we speak and explain ourselves respectfully, never in disorder and destruction. Our country deserves a successful presidential election in six months,” Macron said.
The government now faces the challenge of restoring public order while responding to demands for education improvements, economic relief and accountability for the handling of the demonstrations.
Although Macron promised investigations and emergency measures, opposition leaders remain divided over the underlying causes of the unrest and what changes are necessary to prevent further violence.
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