Protests turn violent across France

More than half a million people protested over the weekend against the rising cost of living and declining public services. The national day of mobilisation on Saturday, 17 October, drew peaceful crowds in many places, but in Paris, Marseille and Lyon rioters took over parts of the marches. Hundreds of buildings were vandalised in the capital, and public buildings were looted and set on fire in several cities. As of Monday, 19 October, more than 2,400 people had been arrested after clashes with police. El Mundo described the unrest as the worst outbreak of violence in France in two decades.

Macron's address and the government response

On Sunday evening, 18 October, Macron addressed the nation, expressing anger and shame at the violence and promising firmness against those responsible, along with transparency about police tactics. Those tactics have drawn fire from opposition parties and from mayors of affected cities, from Paris to Marseille. Macron refused the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and asked him to introduce new ways of acting on the ground against the rioters as quickly as possible.

On Monday, Lecornu said after a meeting of the interministerial crisis unit that he had asked prefects to impose partial and localised curfews that evening, mainly to protect shops. He said a state of emergency could be introduced if useful, but that curfews appeared better suited to the situation. Lecornu blamed an ultra-left movement for seeking to create deep disorder in the country until the presidential election. Nuñez ruled out calling into question the holding of upcoming football matches.

The Gulf tour

Macron was welcomed in Kuwait by Emir Mechaal al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and on the same day he reviewed the Emirati national guard with Mohammed Ben Zayed at Abu Dhabi airport. The tour is due to take in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar before Wednesday, 21 October. The Elysee Palace announced the trip the week before, and says its goal is a set of commitments on diesel and oil volumes at a time of strong tension on world markets. Macron justified keeping the trip by the need to secure supplies, while protesters have voiced concern about fuel prices. El Mundo puts the distance from Paris to Kuwait City at 5,500 kilometres. The region has been in turmoil since the Israeli-American offensive against Iran in February, and the Strait of Hormuz sits at the centre of the energy crisis.

Criticism and reaction

Benjamin Morel, a constitutional law expert at the University of Paris-Panthéon-Assas, said the tour could give an impression of normality but could also look detached and suggest a power vacuum. David Lees, a reader in French studies at the University of Warwick, compared the trip to Charles de Gaulle's secret flight to West Germany in 1968, during the height of unrest and strikes. Lees said that at worst the visit would look like a condescending action by a president who often seems out of touch. El Mundo recalls the snap election Macron called in summer 2024, which left a parliament without a majority able to form a government.

On Monday the European Union called on France to protect the right to peaceful protest and described the looting and arson as unacceptable. A Commission spokesperson, Markus Lammert, said:

“People who protest peacefully must not be equated with those who commit acts of violence.”

Around 100 people gathered outside the Paris City Hall on Monday, at the call of the Association of Mayors of France and in the presence of Socialist mayor Emmanuel Grégoire. Grégoire said:

“As long as no political response is given to the crisis, it will not be resolved.”

The Association of Mayors of France called the gathering after the violence, looting and arson of buildings on Saturday.