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French President Emmanuel Macron condemned violence, looting and vandalism during Saturday’s cost-of-living protests in an address to the nation on Sunday. He ordered a review of police preparedness and called for urgent talks to ease rising social tensions, AnewZ reports.
In the televised address, Macron criticised those responsible for the destruction and questioned how such violence could occur in French cities.
“Looking at these images, we all asked ourselves: What were they thinking? How could French people do this to France? Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it. Tonight, we all feel anger and shame,” Macron said.
The unrest comes as Macron enters the final six months of his presidency, amid mounting political, economic and social pressures.
The president said he had ordered an inquiry into whether shortcomings in intelligence gathering or inadequate police preparedness had contributed to the violence during Saturday’s demonstrations.
Macron also announced that prefects and mayors would be empowered to ban certain gatherings when necessary to maintain public order.
To address the broader crisis, the government has been tasked with bringing together students, teachers, lawmakers, trade union representatives and business leaders this week. Macron said he wanted the meetings to produce “concrete proposals” but gave no further details.
“We must sit around the table and work out solutions together,” the French president said.
