French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence that erupted during nationwide protests, saying he felt "anger and shame" at the illegal acts. He also said he would tighten security measures, including banning certain rallies if necessary, to protect public facilities and shops.
In a televised address on the 18th, Macron criticized the violence, saying nothing could justify, explain or excuse it, according to Reuters and other outlets. He stressed that those who took part in looting and destruction must be distinguished from citizens who demonstrated peacefully with legitimate demands. He asked how French people could do such a thing to France.
Macron stopped short of declaring a state of emergency, as some right-wing politicians had demanded. He said, however, that the government would respond firmly, including by banning certain gatherings if needed to protect public buildings and local shops. He also ordered an investigation into whether there were failures in intelligence gathering or advance police preparation as the protests turned violent.
He also proposed dialogue to defuse social tensions. "We must sit around the negotiating table and build solutions together," Macron said, asking the government to draw up concrete measures with the participation of students, teachers, lawmakers, labor unions and business representatives.
In France, student protests demanding better education conditions, which have continued for about a month, have grown into large-scale unrest as they merged with discontent over rising living costs and deteriorating public services. More than 500,000 people joined demonstrations in major cities the previous day, and some protesters looted or set fire to shops and public buildings, clashing with police in several locations. About 2,400 people were arrested and some 1,000 police officers were injured, according to the French Interior Ministry. One protester died of a heart attack. Clashes continued on the 18th in Paris, Marseille and elsewhere.
With a presidential election due next year, the protests have also become a point of political contention. Marine Le Pen, a lawmaker for the National Rally (RN) and a leading contender in the next presidential race, called for an end to the violence in a video message. "Violence is not an opinion, and destruction is not a form of expression. Chaos cannot be a plan for France's future," she said. Jean-Luc Melenchon, the presidential candidate of the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI), argued that Macron should respond to citizens' demands.
Some of the groups involved in the protests reacted coolly to Macron's address. According to the French daily Le Monde, a coalition of "yellow vest" movement groups that had called for participation in the 17th protest said the speech showed how far leaders are removed from the realities of ordinary people, describing it as a hollow address. The groups demanded a face-to-face meeting with the president and said that if the request were accepted, they would form a delegation representing the various organizations taking part in the protests. They also said they would continue collective action, including blocking freight transport, and would expand a cross-sector strike planned for the 5th of next month into a general strike and a full shutdown.