Macron admits police were under-deployed on 17 October, warns Saturday rallies remain risky

A visit to Marseille after the 17 October unrest

Emmanuel Macron arrived at the Marseille town hall on Monday, 26 October, a building that protesters had briefly invaded on 17 October and that still bears the damage, including graffiti of a circled anarchist 'A', a broken window and a chipped bust of Marianne. AFP reported that the visit was meant to underline the 'return of republican order' after the violence and looting that accompanied a mobilisation over purchasing power and the defence of public services. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez travelled with him, and the second minister named in reports differs: AFP names Sabrina Roubache, minister delegate for vocational training, while La Libre names Serge Papin, the commerce minister. Mayor Benoît Payan toured the hall with the president. Macron was also due to meet shopkeepers hit by looters, and he told them that order was 'the first priority'.

Criticism and a faster response

Macron had been criticised personally by opposition parties and by figures from his own camp, both over how order was kept on 17 October and over his decision to keep a tour of the Gulf at the start of the previous week. Since then he has multiplied meetings on public order and field trips. On Friday, 23 October, he met high school student unions. He linked the movement to high school student mobilisation and to the rising cost of living, and on Monday he described the situation in terms that stressed the timing:

“It is not normal that, six months before a presidential election, our country is in this state of turmoil.”

He also said the current situation is not comparable with the summer 2023 riots that followed the death of a young man.

Police numbers and an admission

Macron acknowledged that Marseille, like other cities, did not have enough police on 17 October. He said the authorities had not anticipated the day, and that the police forces were not adequately sized for it. Asked to explain the gap, he pointed to two surprises: the far-left mobilisation itself and the crime that followed it.

“We had not at all anticipated what happened.”

The admission came during the visit, where he also thanked the security forces that had restored order and promised that the authorities would protect shops and public buildings.

Saturday rallies and the state of emergency

The weekend of 24 and 25 October brought new demonstrations, which passed without serious incident despite some sporadic looting, notably in Marseille. Macron said about 80 shops had been affected. He framed the coming weeks in measured terms:

“We remain both humble and focused, and we know that next Saturday is still a risky Saturday.”

Rallies are announced for Saturday, 31 October, and Thursday, 5 November. Union-requested routes will be kept outside city centres, as happened in Paris the previous weekend. Macron said the state of emergency, which expands police powers, is not needed for now, though he did not rule it out. He was due to finish the visit with an exchange with the police, whom he had already thanked on Sunday evening.