French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is holding an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday to assess the weekend’s violence and looting, in what has been described as some of the worst public disorder in modern French history.
More than 500,000 people took to the streets on Saturday, with most demonstrating peacefully against rising living costs and declining access to essential public services, including quality state education.
However, the protests descended into violence after groups of masked activists and vandals, dressed in black, joined the demonstrations.
An estimated 1,500 shops and businesses were looted or destroyed as clashes spread across the country. Riot police deployed tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds, while officers were seen striking people with batons in several locations.
France’s Interior Ministry said about 1,000 police officers were injured during Saturday’s unrest, with seven sustaining serious injuries.
Amid growing concerns over the scale of the violence, speculation emerged that President Emmanuel Macron might impose temporary curfews in some areas or declare a state of emergency to restore calm.
Macron, however, addressed the nation in a televised speech on Sunday, calling for national unity and assuring the public that those responsible for the violence would face punishment.
The address attracted criticism on social media and from political opponents, who faulted the president for failing to provide concrete measures to address the crisis.
Questions remain over how the authorities intend to identify and prosecute those responsible for the destruction, as well as what steps will be taken to protect towns and cities from further unrest.
The government is also facing pressure to explain how businesses affected by the looting and destruction will be compensated.
Another pressing issue is when formal discussions will begin with student and teachers’ organisations over concerns about the state education system.
With fresh demonstrations reportedly planned in the coming weeks, the government faces mounting pressure to restore public confidence, address the protesters’ grievances and prevent a recurrence of the violence.
