Macron after the riots: 'anger and shame' – looters must pay
After nationwide riots, Macron addresses the nation. Nearly 2,400 arrests, about 1,000 security officers injured. Lecornu chairs a crisis meeting today.
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French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation on television on Sunday evening following Saturday's riots. "We all feel anger and shame tonight," he said. Those who destroyed must pay and those who looted must reimburse, he added. Macron distinguished between protesters with "legitimate demands" and those who destroyed, smashed and looted. He did not declare a state of emergency or a curfew.
According to the authorities, 2,397 people were arrested and 997 police officers and gendarmes were injured, seven of them seriously. The chamber of commerce estimates that at least 1,500 businesses were damaged. On Saturday, around 550,000 people according to the interior ministry, and about 800,000 according to organisers, took to the streets against the high cost of living. In Limoges, the 19th-century town hall was set on fire and its roof collapsed.
Macron announced a crisis unit and said lessons would be learned. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu chairs an inter-ministerial meeting on Monday at 10 am. National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet is considering a commission of inquiry. Marine Le Pen said the government "deplores events without managing to prevent them", while Jean-Luc Mélenchon called it "solely responsible" for the destruction.