FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has appealed for calm after nationwide riots over rising living costs and declining public services left 2,400 people arrested and nearly 1,000 police officers injured, in one of the country's worst outbreaks of unrest in years.
Violence erupted in several cities on Saturday, with protesters and rioters clashing with police, businesses looted and public buildings attacked. Fresh clashes broke out in Paris and Marseille on Sunday as authorities sought to prevent further destruction.
Macron, in a televised address, acknowledged the legitimate grievances of peaceful demonstrators but condemned those responsible for violence and vandalism.
“Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it. Tonight, we all feel anger and shame,” Reuters cited him saying.
The president stopped short of declaring a state of emergency, as demanded by some right-wing politicians, but said the government would allow local prefects to prohibit demonstrations where necessary to protect public buildings and businesses.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police had made 2,400 arrests nationwide, while nearly 1,000 officers had been injured. One protester died after suffering a cardiac arrest during demonstrations in Paris on Saturday.
The unrest has exposed deep-seated public anger over the cost of living, deteriorating public services and dissatisfaction with Macron's decade in power, as France approaches the 2027 presidential election.
More than 500,000 people took part in demonstrations across dozens of cities on Saturday, according to the report, as a month-long student movement converged with broader public discontent. While most demonstrations were peaceful, violent groups targeted public buildings, looted shops and supermarkets, and attacked police vehicles and officers.
In Limoges, a fire largely destroyed the town hall, with its clock tower collapsing in a blaze that evoked memories of the 2019 Notre-Dame cathedral fire in Paris.
Mayor Guillaume Guerin said the attack appeared to have been deliberate and criticised the level of national police deployment in the city. He threatened to resign unless sufficient funding was provided to repair the building.
The economic fallout has also spread to retailers. Carrefour chief executive Alexandre Bompard told French broadcaster BFMTV that 50 of the company's shops had been damaged, including 20 that were looted, with losses estimated in the tens of millions of euros.
Economy Minister Roland Lescure pledged support for affected businesses and said those responsible for the destruction would be held accountable.
Political leaders across the spectrum called for an end to the violence, although they differed over how the government should respond to the demonstrators' grievances.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, condemned the destruction, saying violence and vandalism could not be accepted as forms of political expression. Hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, meanwhile, urged Macron to address the demands of protesting students.
With the 2027 election approaching, the unrest presents a significant challenge for the government as it seeks to restore public order while addressing the economic and social grievances fuelling the demonstrations. - October 19, 2026