French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the violence that swept Paris and other French cities on Saturday 17 October. In a televised address on Sunday evening, he attributed it to “actions by far-left groups” which, together with “numerous criminals”, had carried out “unbridled violence”.
The address, however, left many French citizens disappointed, according to ERT’s correspondent in France. They had expected immediate security measures. Instead, the address did not include a state of emergency or a curfew.
Accountability for the violence
“Shops were looted, public buildings and town halls were attacked. Seeing these images, we all asked ourselves how French people could do this to France,” Macron said. “Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it,” he added.
He asked the government to draw “all the lessons” from Saturday’s violence, particularly in relation to intelligence gathering, to ensure that something similar “will not happen again”.
“Those who destroyed must pay. Those who looted must compensate. Those who sought to harm the Republic will be held to account,” he said.
Support for officials, businesses and police
Macron said the government would provide the necessary support to elected officials and business owners affected by the violence. He stressed “the nation’s support for the police forces”, who he said “did their best”, and expressed his sympathy to the injured and their families.
Rioters versus protesters
The French president called for a clear distinction between those responsible for the damage and protesters who came to voice their demands. “We must never confuse the latter with those who destroyed, smashed and looted,” he said.
He acknowledged that concerns about the cost of living and rising fuel prices were legitimate.
Concerns of young people
Macron also said he understood the “deep concern” expressed by young people in secondary schools and universities in recent weeks. He referred to their worries about the future, their living and study conditions, career guidance and their place in society.
“Their voices must be heard without prejudice and without downplaying the difficulties,” he said, adding that the government had already begun work on these issues.
“Our responsibility is therefore twofold: to listen to the anger and address its root causes, and to firmly uphold the rule of law,” he said, urging citizens not to confuse demands with violence.
Appeal ahead of the presidential election
With the presidential election six months away, Macron called on the French people to prioritise democratic dialogue.
“All those who tell you today that the urgent thing is to take to the streets, to demonstrate, to create disorder, have only one goal: to harm the Republic,” he said. “Our country deserves a successful presidential election in six months.”
He called for “unity, calm and respect”. He also urged political parties, professional organisations and trade unions to “unequivocally condemn all violence and call for calm”.
“The country needs order and calm, not escalation,” he said.
He closed with a warning to those responsible for the violence: “We will be uncompromising. Listening and dialogue do not mean weakness or impunity.”
Disappointment over the absence of emergency measures
ERT’s correspondent in France, Thomais Papaioannou, said there was “a slight disappointment” with what the address had delivered.
“There were rumours that he would declare a state of emergency or impose a curfew. He did neither of those things,” she said.
Fresh clashes and warnings from businesses
According to the correspondent, there were renewed clashes and looting at Place de la République in Paris on Sunday evening.
She said hotel and restaurant associations had already warned that, if immediate measures were not taken, they would take the law into their own hands. “We risk seeing other scenes of confrontation than those we have seen so far,” she added.
This is a developing story.
With information from ERT, Le Parisien and ANA-MPA
