Macron condemns those who sought to bring down the Republic after rioting disrupts nationwide protests

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that rioting and looting during nationwide protests reflected public “anger” and “shame.” The demonstrations were against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. Authorities reported at least 2,400 arrests. Macron, echoing other government officials, blamed much of the violence on far-left activists, accusing them of attacking police and public buildings to foment chaos.

In a televised address, Macron said looters would have to pay for the damage and those who “sought to bring down the Republic” would be held accountable. He denounced “unrestrained violence” by “insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals.” Masked groups set fires and attacked city halls in several cities a day earlier. Macron held an emergency meeting with senior officials Sunday and said he had directed prefects to work with mayors to protect public buildings and businesses in the coming weeks, including by banning protests when necessary.

Flames engulfed the 19th-century city hall in Limoges, in central France. Its roof collapsed and the building was nearly destroyed. Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate said “radical troublemakers” broke in while elected officials, employees, security personnel and members of the public were inside. He said they deliberately set the building on fire, calling it an extremely serious and unspeakable act.

**Tensions flare again in Paris**

Hundreds of protesters gathered again Sunday at Place de la République in Paris amid a heavy police presence. Tensions flared sporadically, and officers used tear gas as small groups tried to set bicycles and garbage bins on fire. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez wrote on X that the right to protest is fundamental, but “deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence” is not. He cited the looting of hundreds of businesses across the country.

Authorities estimated about 550,000 people attended Saturday’s marches; organizers put turnout at 800,000. Labour unions, student organizations and activists called for the demonstrations, hoping to revive the “yellow vest” movement that emerged in 2018 to protest social injustice. Large protests in France are often marred by violence on the fringes of otherwise peaceful marches, leading to clashes with police. Sunday’s arrest tally approached the nearly 2,000 recorded nationwide during a single day of yellow vest protests in December 2018.

Paris police said one person died of a heart attack but provided no details. The Paris prosecutor’s office said it was investigating.

**Residents lament shattered shops and damage to the square**

Dislodged cobblestones, shattered storefronts and broken glass littered the area around Place de la République on Sunday. Looting and damage were also reported in other tourist and shopping districts. Paris police said 855 people were arrested in the capital region; prosecutors said 557 remained in police custody.

Government employee Marie Peyreigne, 57, said she was stunned by the level of destruction and violence and wondered what had led to the mayhem. Residents inspecting the damage photographed the partially dismantled base of the square’s central monument, a statue of Marianne, a symbol of France.

Jean Foissy, 74, said he had planned to join the protest but encountered “a wall of riot police and fires everywhere” and went home. He said he was very scared. A lifelong Parisian, he said arriving at the square nearly made him cry because the damage hurt him. Margaux Eude, 26, said she supported the protest movement but had not expected it to escalate this way. She said it broke her heart that troublemakers had joined in, because their actions delegitimized the movement.

**Political leaders trade blame ahead of presidential election**

Political leaders traded accusations over Saturday’s violence ahead of next spring’s presidential election. Far-right leader and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen criticized Macron’s centrist government in a social media video, calling it “exhausted, disoriented and seemingly incapable of doing anything other than commenting on its own powerlessness.”

Far-left contender Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu of “playing with fire,” alleging that “by banking on degradation, you have only succeeded in uniting all youths and workers’ unions.” Mélenchon, who joined Saturday’s Paris march, said those who shared the movement’s fight had no business looting or destroying property.

U.S. President Donald Trump posted “France is burning!” on Truth Social, apparently linking the unrest to “the immigration of people from an entirely different world.” He urged France to close its borders and take control before it was too late. French authorities and police have not linked immigrants to the rioting. Speaking about troublemakers, Macron asked, “How can French people do this to France?”

**Hundreds of businesses looted across the country**

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire wrote in an open letter that the scale of the damage was “considerable and unprecedented.” He said Paris is a city of freedoms, debate and demonstrations and must remain so, while also being a place where everyone can work and run a business safely. The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon, France’s three largest cities, requested a meeting with the prime minister in the coming days, citing the extent of the damage and the seriousness of the situation.

In Marseille, some protesters briefly forced their way into city hall’s lobby, and a group wearing hoods and masks damaged a police station. A fire broke out inside a tourist office in Lyon.

In eastern France, the Mulhouse prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation after a 17-year-old girl was injured during the protests and lost an eye. Another investigation was opened Saturday after a young protester lost a hand in Saint-Etienne. The injuries come as police face sharp scrutiny over their use of grenades and other riot-control weapons during recent demonstrations.