Macron calls for calm in France and warns rioting must not escalate
President Emmanuel Macron urged calm and order after protests over fuel prices, living costs and public services were followed by rioting and looting across France. He said protesters’ legitimate demands should be distinguished from violence and warned that those responsible for destruction would face justice.
About 550,000 people took part in Saturday’s demonstrations, most of which were peaceful, while police arrested around 2,400 people. Disorder continued on a smaller scale in Paris and Lyon on Sunday; fires and looting damaged shops and civic buildings, and Limoges’s 19th-century town hall was badly gutted. The Interior Ministry said about 1,000 police officers were injured on Saturday, seven seriously, and Macron promised transparency about the police response.
- Macron called for calm after protests became riots.
- Around 550,000 people demonstrated; about 2,400 were arrested.
- Limoges town hall was gutted and about 1,000 officers were injured.
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France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, leads the country’s government and is responsible for public order, while policing is handled by national and local forces. Protests over fuel prices, the cost of living and public services reflect concerns about how economic pressures affect daily life.
Demonstrations can bring together people with different demands, and most participants may not be involved in violence. In France, the right to protest sits alongside laws against rioting, looting and damaging property, and the authorities can investigate both criminal acts and how police respond to them.