French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez admitted on Monday that police had “lost control” during violent nationwide protests over the weekend. President Emmanuel Macron rejected Nunez’s resignation and ordered a review of security and intelligence failures.

Around 500,000 people took part in Saturday’s demonstrations against the rising cost of living. However, the protests escalated into widespread violence, with shops and town halls looted and set ablaze.

More than 2,500 people were arrested, while nearly 1,000 security personnel were injured. Several protesters also suffered injuries. One demonstrator reportedly lost a hand after a police crowd-control grenade exploded.

Interior Minister Admits Security Failures

Nunez acknowledged that authorities had failed to anticipate the scale of the unrest. He said security forces were not sufficiently prepared to handle large crowds of rioters and looters operating on the fringes of the demonstrations.

WFP to End Food Assistance for 500,000 People in Gaza Amid Funding Shortage

“On Saturday, in some major cities, you couldn’t look shopkeepers in the eye after hundreds of shops had been looted and tell them we hadn’t lost control,” Nunez said.

He estimated that approximately 60,000 law enforcement personnel had been deployed nationwide on Saturday.

Nunez also accepted responsibility for the damage caused during the unrest.

“Given the damage that has been caused, it was only right that I should hand in my resignation,” he said.

Macron Rejects Resignation, Orders Review

The French presidency confirmed that Macron had rejected Nunez’s resignation. The statement cited “the necessity for continued leadership of law enforcement”.

Instead, Macron instructed the interior minister to take steps to ensure transparency regarding the planning and intelligence failures that contributed to the violence.

He also called for new operational methods to help security forces tackle rioters and prevent further looting.

The presidency said the changes should address the “barricades and looting” witnessed during the unrest.

Looting Continues in Paris

Violence and looting continued on Sunday, particularly in Paris.

Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said on Monday that around 30 shops had been targeted in the capital the previous day. He described the scenes as “unbearable”.

Meanwhile, Nunez reported that approximately 350 people had been arrested in Paris on Sunday and overnight.

Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said more than 2,330 people had been taken into police custody nationwide over the weekend. Around 70 per cent of those detained were adults.

Alain Di Crescenzo, president of the chamber of commerce, estimated that more than 2,000 shops across France could have been affected. He said the damage could reach “hundreds of millions of euros”.

Macron Condemns Violence

In a televised address on Sunday evening, Macron condemned what he called “unbridled” violence.

He said local authorities could ban certain rallies in the coming days if necessary. However, he stopped short of announcing emergency measures, including a state of emergency or a curfew.

Saturday’s demonstrations followed four weeks of protests by high school students. Some of those earlier protests had also turned violent.