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France unrest continues as Macron weighs emergency rule; Trump says country ‘shattered’
Protests that began against the rising cost of living saw fresh clashes in France on their second day. French media report that a state of emergency and a curfew are among options before Macron, while U.S. President Trump said France had been “shattered.”
The Turkiye Times Editorial DeskUpdated:
Protests that began in France on Saturday against the cost of living, and descended into arson and looting, continued on Sunday. Clashes broke out between police and protesters who regrouped in Paris, amid talk that President Emmanuel Macron could declare a state of emergency.
According to the French daily L’Opinion, a state of emergency and a curfew are among the options Macron and his ministers are weighing. No official decision has been announced. Macron is expected to address the nation at 8 p.m. after meeting ministers at 5:30 p.m.
Day two in Paris: tear gas and barricades
Protesters gathered again in Paris on Sunday afternoon to keep up the demonstrations, and police used tear gas to disperse them.
Police also broke up a group trying to build a barricade at Place de la République.
In parts of the city, protesters were seen firing fireworks at police.
Bicycles were set on fire in the streets of Paris.
Protesters piled up burning bikes and trash bins to form a barricade against police.
Jewelry and luxury stores looted
Security camera footage shows protesters looting a jewelry store.
In Marseille, protesters looted a store of luxury fashion house Hermès on Saturday.
There were odd scenes too: a man who stole a vacuum cleaner from a shop began using it to clean the street.
Anger at Lyon’s mayor
Lyon Mayor Grégory Doucet was booed by the crowd as he made a public statement about the protests.
A man trying to protect his shop confronted Doucet: “Look at the disgrace you’ve caused. Are you proud? You should be ashamed and resign.”
More than 1,800 arrests
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said more than 1,800 people had been arrested nationwide and that over 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters had been injured, according to provisional figures. Paris saw a record 855 detentions, and about 1,500 shops and businesses were damaged. In Limoges, the town hall built in 1873 was set ablaze.
One demonstrator died of cardiorespiratory arrest, and a 17-year-old in Saint-Étienne lost a hand to a police stun grenade. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu postponed a crisis meeting to Monday, National Assembly Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet said she would propose a parliamentary inquiry, and Greens leader Marine Tondelier called for Nuñez to resign.
Trump: France ‘shattered’
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country. Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!”
Vice President JD Vance shared footage of the Limoges fire, writing that Western liberals had imported the “Third World” into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion, ignored basic questions of assimilation and compatibility, and did not listen when warned it would cause such problems.
Protesters carrying Palestinian flags also stood out at the Paris demonstrations.
News reports cite the cost of living, education and public services as the immediate triggers of the protests. Macron said on Saturday there was “no room for violence,” and all eyes are now on his evening address.
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