Live: Macron rejects French interior minister’s resignation after weekend of unrest

Politicians trade blame for violence ahead of 2027 elections

Political leaders have traded accusations over the weekend violence ahead of next spring’s presidential election.

Far-right leader and presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen criticised Macron’s centrist government as “exhausted, disoriented and seemingly incapable of doing anything other than commenting on its own powerlessness,” in a video posted on social media.

Far-left contender Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu of “playing with fire,” alleging that “by banking on degradation, you have only succeeded in uniting all youths and workers’ unions.”

Lecornu and other government officials have blamed Mélenchon’s France Unbowed (LFI) party for instigating the unrest, which several analysts have described as a gift to Le Pen’s far right.

Macron rejects interior minister’s resignation, demands new policing methods

The French president has slammed “failures” that he said led to violent protests that rocked the country, but refused the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nunez over the crisis.

“The interior minister submitted his resignation to the president on Sunday,” the Élysee palace said in a statement. “Given the necessity for continued leadership of law enforcement at this time, the president refused.”

Macron had asked Nunez to “take all necessary steps 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 crisis, the statement said.

More than 2,400 people arrested after violence mars protests

Authorities estimated Saturday’s largely peaceful marches had a turnout of about 550,000, while organisers put it at 800,000.

Demonstrators answered calls from a labor union, student organizations and activists hoping to revive the “yellow vest” movement, which emerged in 2018 to protest social injustice.

Mass protests in France are often marred by violence on the fringes of otherwise peaceful marches, leading to clashes with police.

The arrest tally reported for Saturday approached the nearly 2,000 recorded nationwide during a single day of yellow vest protests in December 2018.

Macron condemns those who ‘sought to bring down the Republic’

“Those who looted will have to pay for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable,” Macron said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday evening.

He denounced “unrestrained violence” by “insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals.”

Macron earlier held an emergency meeting with senior government officials, 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.

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French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday voiced the public’s “anger” and “shame” over rioting and looting during nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

At least 2,400 people were arrested. 

Macron echoed other government officials in blaming much of the violence on far-left activists, accusing them of attacking police and public buildings to foment chaos.