Macron Refuses Nunez's Resignation Amid French Protest Violence

France's President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the "failures in anticipation and intelligence" by French authorities after nationwide cost-of-living protests were marred by violence. Despite these failures, Macron has refused the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. Macron and his government are under pressure from opposition politicians, who have called for Nunez to be removed after mass rallies on Saturday over the rising cost of living and high fuel costs turned violent. In some of the worst urban violence France has seen in years, nearly 2,400 people were arrested, while almost 1,000 police and gendarmes were injured.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez admitted that police across the country had "lost control" of the situation over the weekend. As tens of thousands of people took to streets across the country to protest rising costs and social inequality, crowds of mostly masked and mostly male youths clashed with police, looting shops and torching public and private property, including the historic Limoges city hall. Nunez agreed with Macron over authorities' "lack of anticipation," saying he tendered his resignation "because I felt responsible for everything that happened." Macron has instructed Nunez to "take all necessary steps to ensure transparency over the failures in planning and intelligence that led to the violence." Organizers called the protests, hoping to revive the momentum of the 2018-2019 "Yellow Vest" movement that challenged Macron during his first term, with a nationwide turnout of 500,000.

Initially, it was reported that only 10,000 police and gendarmes had been deployed nationwide, but the Interior Ministry quickly corrected that tally, saying that 60,000 had been mobilized ahead of the protests. The demonstrations began at a school in southeastern Paris in September, with students protesting staff shortages and poor conditions in school buildings. The movement subsequently spread across France, drawing support from trade unions, left-wing groups and members of the Yellow Vest movement. In Limoges, rioters set fire to the city’s 140-year-old town hall, destroying much of the historic building. Clashes continued in Paris and Marseille on Sunday, with riot police intervening to prevent attempts to ransack businesses.

Saturday's protests followed four weeks of high school student protests that at times also turned violent. Macron has tasked Nunez with developing new policing measures, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s crisis meeting on Monday is expected to examine the government’s response to the weekend’s violence.