Macron Slams Security Failures As France Protests Turn Violent

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned security lapses during nationwide cost-of-living protests that turned violent over the weekend, but rejected the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.

The Elysee Palace disclosed this on Monday, saying Macron criticised the “failures in anticipation and intelligence” by French authorities following widespread violence during Saturday’s demonstrations.

The protests, organised over rising living costs and fuel prices, have sparked political pressure on Macron and his government, with opposition politicians calling for Nunez’s removal over the handling of the unrest.

According to France’s Interior Ministry, nearly 2,400 people were arrested, while almost 1,000 police officers and gendarmes, the country’s armed police, were injured in some of the worst urban violence France has experienced in years.

Nunez on Monday admitted that police across the country had “lost control” of the situation during the weekend’s demonstrations.

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across France to express their anger over rising costs and social inequality.

However, the demonstrations were marred by clashes involving mostly masked young men, who reportedly looted shops and set public and private properties ablaze, including the historic city hall in Limoges.

Nunez acknowledged what he described as the authorities’ “lack of anticipation,” adding that he had offered to resign because he felt accountable for the incidents.

“I tendered my resignation because I felt responsible for everything that happened,” he said.

Despite accepting that security planning had fallen short, Macron directed the interior minister to take steps to establish the circumstances that led to the violence.

According to a statement from the president’s office, Macron instructed Nunez to “take all necessary steps to ensure transparency over the failures in planning and intelligence that led to the violence.”

The president also ordered him to “put in place new operational methods for security forces” to improve their response to the crisis and prevent violent looting during future demonstrations.

The protests come as organisers seek to revive the momentum of the 2018–2019 Yellow Vest movement, which challenged Macron’s government during his first term.

The latest demonstrations took place about six months before France is scheduled to elect a successor to Macron.

Organisers called on students, workers, retirees, farmers, climate activists and anti-fascist groups to join the rallies and express their dissatisfaction with the country’s economic and social conditions.

France’s General Confederation of Labour (CGT) estimated nationwide participation at 500,000.

The scale of the security deployment also came under scrutiny after initial reports suggested that only 10,000 police officers and gendarmes had been deployed nationwide.

The Interior Ministry subsequently corrected the figure, stating that 60,000 security personnel had been mobilised ahead of the protests, including 5,000 in Paris.

For comparison, Paris deployed 14,000 police officers and gendarmes during a recent high-profile visit by Pope Leo XIV, when as many as 700,000 people gathered in the capital to attend Mass delivered by the pontiff.

The demonstrations have also exposed divisions among France’s political leaders over the protests and the violence that accompanied them.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) party and a longtime presidential candidate, attended Saturday’s rally in Paris.

Melenchon criticised media coverage of the unrest, arguing that most of the demonstrations had remained peaceful.

However, Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally accused him of “legitimizing violence” and attempting to “plunge the country into chaos.”

Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s political ally and successor as National Rally leader, described those responsible for the violence as “professionals of chaos.”

He also accused the far left of undermining legitimate social demands by associating them with violence.

Meanwhile, Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan condemned protesters who used the demonstrations as an opportunity to destroy property and attack security personnel.

Speaking to French broadcaster BFMTV, the left-wing mayor said: “It is unacceptable to use this type of claim to enter, break and destroy the foundations that unite us as a nation.”

Payan also described violent protesters as “useful idiots of the far right.”