Macron vows 'strong measures' to combat protests that rocked France

Speaking in Marseille on Monday, Macron warned that fresh demonstrations planned for this coming Saturday were 'risky' and announced that protest routes would be restricted outside city centers to protect public order. The French president acknowledged that authorities had 'not anticipated at all' the scale of demonstrations which descended into widespread violence and looting in several major cities.

Security Concerns

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told broadcaster BFM that he was expecting further disturbances on October 31, noting that 'Halloween evening is traditionally always a bit lively' and 'we expect it to be complicated again.' Macron highlighted the role of social media in the protests, calling online networks 'tools for mobilizing the worst impulses' that were 'damaging our democracies' by bringing people to locations where criminal acts occurred.

Political Response

A presidential aide said Macron wanted to demonstrate that 'the state is present, standing firm and fulfilling its mission to protect.' The president noted that curfews enabled relative order during last Saturday's protests when authorities deployed 70,000 police officers across the country, making 1,435 arrests. Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told RTL radio, 'The state prevailed this weekend. The state was strong.'

Nevertheless, Macron also instructed his government to 'respond to the legitimate demands that lie at the root of this social movement,' particularly regarding education and university admissions. 'There are demands that must be heard and answered,' confirmed Bregeon, though she added, 'to answer them, there is a prerequisite: a return to calm.'