France has experienced the most severe riots in recent years this weekend. On the eve of a crucial vote by the government on the budget bill, protests that erupted across the country due to high living costs and the continuous deterioration of public services turned into violent conflicts.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the demonstrations on Saturday turned into riots, with nearly 2,400 people arrested, shops looted or damaged, and buildings defaced. Violent groups clashed with the police in several cities across the country. The ministry stated that nearly 1,000 police officers and gendarmes were injured during the incidents.
In the last few months of his presidency, French President Emmanuel Macron's tenure has increasingly been defined by growing political, fiscal, and social discontent. He has ordered a review to determine if there were any mistakes in intelligence gathering or police preparedness, and has requested that the government convene students, teachers, members of parliament, union leaders, and business representatives this week to propose "concrete solutions" to address this crisis.
At the time of these riots, the minority government led by Prime Minister Sebastian Le Corneille was seeking to save 54 billion euros (61 billion US dollars) in the 2027 budget in order to reduce the growing deficit. The National Assembly is scheduled to hold a formal vote on the first part of the bill on Tuesday.
In recent years, France has struggled to control its expenditures, and by the second quarter, the debt level had swollen to a record 3.6 trillion euros, which is equivalent to GDP of 119%. As global interest rates rise, the cost of debt servicing has also become increasingly high.
According to authorities, on Saturday, about 550,000 people marched in dozens of cities across the country, including 110,000 in Paris. The latest round of demonstrations followed a month-long student movement concerning teacher shortages and school conditions, and the dissatisfaction among unions also further expanded. Despite the peaceful protests of hundreds of thousands, violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, looted shops, and attacked police.
On Sunday evening, Macron said in a televised speech, "Seeing these images, we all ask ourselves: what on earth are they thinking? How can French people do such a thing to France?"
"There is no reason to defend this, no explanation to justify it, and no excuse to absolve it," he said, vowing to take a "uncompromising" response against "provocateurs from the far-left fringe groups, with many lawbreakers joining in."
He did not declare a state of emergency or impose a curfew, but stated that if necessary, the governor and mayor would be authorized to ban certain gatherings in order to protect public buildings and local businesses.
A town hall in Limoges, central France, which has a history of 143 years, was set alight and largely destroyed in an arson attack. Mayor Guillaume Galan told Reuters on Sunday that the robbers broke windows before setting fire, "clearly with the intention to burn down the town hall, and everyone inside was worried for their lives." Protesters also forcibly entered the town hall in Marseille, and a tourist office in Lyon was also set on fire.
Interior Minister Laurent Núñez stated on Sunday that hundreds of shops suffered severe property damage; Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazeneuve said that as many as 100 shops in the area were robbed.
Police said that a protester died of cardiac arrest during the demonstrations in Paris, but did not provide any further details. On Sunday afternoon, the police used tear gas and shock bombs to disperse the gathering in Place de la République in Paris, and bicycles at the scene were also set on fire.
French Economic Minister Roland Lescouret has pledged that the government will provide support to business owners who have suffered losses during the riots. Reuters quoted a statement saying: "Those who destroy things will pay a price, repair the damages, and bear responsibility for their intent to create chaos."
Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right opposition party and a frontrunner in next year's presidential elections, stated that these upheavals indicate that Macron's government "is at its wits' end, exhausted, and lost its direction." Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the far-left, is also running for president. He said that Macron needs to respond to the demands of the protesting high school students, and that France may be on the path to "events that will eventually become uncontrollable."
