Macron rejects Laurent Nunez's offer to resign after violent protests
Macron kept the interior minister in place to preserve police command and asked him to urgently tackle thefts committed during demonstrations.
French President Emmanuel Macron has refused Interior Minister Laurent Nunez's offer to resign after a weekend of violent protests, the Élysée Palace said on Monday. The rejection aims to keep continuity in police and security leadership as the government responds to the unrest.
Macron told Nunez that he must remain in office to preserve the chain of command within the police and security forces, and asked the minister to urgently devise a new approach to prevent the shop thefts that have occurred during the demonstrations.
Scale of the disturbances
The demonstrations, driven by public anger over rising living costs, deteriorating public services and problems in the education system, escalated into unrest on Saturday. In several cities rioters set fire to a municipal building, looted shops and sprayed graffiti, while clashes between groups of demonstrators and police were reported.
Authorities estimate that about 1,500 shops and commercial outlets were looted or damaged, prompting police to use tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds. The Interior Ministry said roughly 1,000 police officers were injured on Saturday, seven of them seriously.
New clashes occurred on Sunday in Paris and Marseille where officers intervened to stop attempts to loot businesses. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is due to hold an emergency cabinet meeting to assess the impact of the violence and thefts.
In a public video address Macron said the protests could be banned if necessary while urging calm and order. He declared, "Nothing justifies the violence during the protests," and acknowledged that citizens have reason to complain about high fuel prices, saying he will raise the issue during a planned visit to countries in the Persian Gulf.
Photo: EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA
