French President Emmanuel Macron did not accept Interior Minister Laurent Nunez’s resignation, which was submitted against the backdrop of mass protests and unrest that broke out across the country.
Instead, the head of state instructed the minister to develop new methods of working for the security forces and ensure transparency in the investigation of errors made in preparing for the protests and collecting intelligence. Nunez had submitted his resignation on Sunday, the Elysee Palace said.
However, Macron considered it necessary to maintain leadership of law enforcement agencies during the current crisis. Macron has come under pressure as protests against rising living costs have turned into one of the largest urban riots in France in recent years. Earlier, the president acknowledged the existence of "errors in the assessment of the situation and in intelligence work."
The interior minister himself admitted on Monday that the police “lost control of the situation” during the unrest in several cities. Also, he noted the lack of preparation for the protests. “I submitted my resignation to President Macron because I felt accountable for everything that happened,”
Nunez explained. Macron instructed the interior minister to “take all necessary measures to ensure transparency regarding the errors made in planning and intelligence gathering that led to the violence.” In addition, the French president demanded “the introduction of new methods of operational work by the security forces” in order to overcome the crisis and prevent similar events from happening again.