Macron refuses resignation of France’s interior minister after weekend riots

The French president has refused the resignation of the nation’s interior minister following a weekend of continued unrest across the country.

Nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools have resulted in more than 2,400 arrests, with demonstrators seen clashing with police.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez attempted to resign amid the riots but Emmanuel Macron would not accept it, the presidential palace said.

“The Minister of the Interior submitted his resignation to the President of the Republic on Sunday. Given the need for continuous command of the law enforcement forces in the current context, the President of the Republic refused it,” the Elysee palace said in a statement.

It said Macron had instead asked Nunez to ensure transparency “over the failures in planning and intelligence that led to the violence” and put in place “new operational methods for security forces” to handle the ongoing crisis.

Macron on Sunday expressed the public’s “anger” and “shame” over the protests, which initially began over issues within the country’s school system.

“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 said in an address to the nation.

Macron also held an emergency meeting with senior government officials on Sunday, a day after masked groups set fires and attacked city halls in several cities.

He said he had instructed prefects to work with mayors to protect public buildings and businesses in the coming weeks, including by banning protests when necessary.

Flames had engulfed the 19th-century City Hall in the city of Limoges, in central France, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building.

In Paris, hundreds of protesters gathered again on Sunday at the Place de la République amid a heavy police presence, and officers used tear gas as tensions flared sporadically in the neighbourhood.

“The right to protest is a fundamental right. Deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence is not,” Nunez wrote on X, citing the looting of hundreds of businesses across the country.

Authorities estimated Saturday’s marches had a turnout of about 550,000, while organisers put it at 800,000. Paris police said 855 people were arrested in the capital region and prosecutors said 557 remained in police custody.

France’s Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to hold an emergency meeting on Monday morning, as Macron flies to Kuwait for an official visit.