French Interior Minister Vows 'Absolutely Uncompromising' Stance on Vandals Ahead of Weekend Protests

French Interior Minister Vows 'Absolutely Uncompromising' Stance on Vandals Ahead of Weekend Protests

Minister Admits Police Lost Control Last Weekend

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted on Monday that police "lost control" during nationwide protests over the weekend. Speaking to France Inter, he said: "I take my share of responsibility," acknowledging that the deployment was too small to deal with the number of people involved in looting and vandalism. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin told France 2 television that 2,331 people were taken into police custody over the weekend, 70 per cent of them adults and "more than 80 per cent" facing prosecution. Nuñez also revealed that intelligence had suggested 200,000 demonstrators nationwide, while more than 500,000 actually turned out.

The Toll: 1,000 Officers Hurt, 1,500 Shops Looted

Saturday's protests, driven by the cost-of-living crisis and grievances over school conditions, began peacefully but spiralled into some of France's worst urban unrest in years after "black bloc" activists and young vandals joined. The Interior Ministry reported nearly 2,400 arrests on Saturday and about 1,000 police and gendarmes injured, seven seriously. More than 1,500 shops were looted and public buildings torched; in Limoges, the 19th-century city hall was set ablaze and its roof and tower collapsed. Paris chamber of commerce head Dominique Restino told BFM television that at least 300 businesses in the capital were vandalised, while Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said up to 100 stores there were looted. President Emmanuel Macron, in a televised address Sunday evening, vowed the government would be "uncompromising" toward those who rioted, declaring: "Those who have destroyed must pay."

Resignation Refused: Macron Keeps Nuñez in Post

Nuñez submitted his resignation to Macron on Sunday, saying he was "responsible for everything that is happening." The Élysée Palace announced Monday that Macron refused it, citing "the necessity for continued leadership of law enforcement in the current context," and instructed Nuñez to ensure full transparency over the intelligence and planning failures that led to the violence and to put in place new operational methods for security forces. Some opposition politicians had called for Nuñez's dismissal, but Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu acknowledged shortcomings in the state's response, saying police deployments had been too static and that authorities erred by not cancelling planned police leave.

Weekend Ahead: 70,000 Officers and Military Support

Ahead of a fresh round of protests this Saturday, Nuñez announced Friday that France will deploy some 70,000 police officers and gendarmes nationwide, with riot squads and elite units securing public buildings in a "highly mobile" operation; even police trainees will be drafted in as support. The "Sentinelle" military force will also be deployed, mainly to free up police and gendarmes for order-maintenance duties. Nuñez warned that "numerous calls from radical far-left groups on social media" to commit violence, vandalism and looting were already circulating, spread "clearly by rioters." "We will be absolutely uncompromising" with those involved in violence, he said, warning of a "very firm approach to making arrests" and legal consequences. The Louvre and other museums will close on Saturday, and curfews have been imposed in parts of Paris.

Official Line: Separate Legitimate Demands from Crime

Both Macron and Nuñez have stressed distinguishing peaceful demonstrators with "legitimate demands" from "vandals, looters and far-left activists." Nuñez singled out those he accused of trying to "kill police officers" and assigned "political responsibility" to La France Insoumise for failing to condemn the violence with sufficient vigour. Despite the government's pledges, French media criticised the initial response as a "fiasco." Over the coming days, the justice system is expected to hand down severe penalties, and whether the weekend's massive deployment can restore state control will be the key test.