Macron notes ‘failures’ after France unrest; declines interior minister’s offer to resign
French President Emmanuel Macron has instructed Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to “put in place new operational methods for security forces” to handle the crisis.
A man tries to extinguish a fire, during civil unrest, the day after a day of demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, in Paris, France, Oct 18, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Abdul Saboor)
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron, under pressure after violent protests in France, acknowledged on Monday (Oct 19) “failures in anticipation and intelligence”, but refused the resignation of his interior minister, the Elysee presidential palace said.
Macron said Interior Minister Laurent Nunez should stay on given the need to keep a chain of command within the police and security forces, and has also asked Nunez to set up as quickly as possible new approaches to deal with looters, the Elysee added.
Some opposition politicians had called for the sacking of Nunez after demonstrations over the cost of living descended into some of the worst urban violence in France in years.
Nearly 2,400 people were arrested on Saturday, with almost 1,000 police and gendarmes injured, according to the interior ministry, as clashes between police and protesters, mass looting and fires erupted nationwide.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
More clashes also broke out in Paris and Marseille on Sunday, where riot police intervened to prevent attempts to ransack businesses.
“The interior minister submitted his resignation to the president on Sunday,” the Elysee palace said in a statement.
“Given the necessity for continued leadership of law enforcement at this time, the president refused.”
Macron had asked Nunez to “take all necessary steps to ensure transparency over the failures in planning and intelligence that led to the violence”, the statement said.
The president had also instructed him to “put in place new operational methods for security forces” to handle the crisis.
Source: Agencies/aj
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
