Macron addresses nation amid rioting and widespread damage in France

French President Emmanuel Macron called for "calm and order" on Sunday as rioting and looting spread across France, warning that the violence must not escalate further. In a televised address from the Élysée Palace, Macron said "we all feel anger and shame" after a day of mass protests over fuel prices, the cost of living, and deteriorating public services turned into widespread destruction.

Some 550,000 demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday, largely peacefully, according to the interior ministry. But groups of rioters, some dressed in black and wearing masks, set fire to cars and buildings, smashed shopfronts, and looted stores in Paris, Marseille, Lille, and other cities. Police arrested about 2,400 people, and the interior ministry reported around 1,000 officers injured, seven seriously.

Macron drew a sharp line between protesters with "legitimate demands" and "those who destroyed, smashed and looted." He said "nothing justifies" the "unbridled" violence and pledged that those involved would face justice. "Those who have destroyed must pay," he said, vowing the government would be "uncompromising" toward "agitators from ultra-left fringe groups, joined by numerous delinquents."

The president also said local prefects and mayors would work together to protect shops and public buildings, and that there would be "full transparency" over the police response. He stopped short of declaring a state of emergency or imposing a curfew.

Second day of clashes and political fallout

Violence continued on Sunday. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades at hundreds gathered in Place de la République in central Paris after social media calls for an unauthorized gathering. Bottles and rocks were thrown at officers, and shops were looted around the square. In Lyon, police thwarted youths attempting to smash the windows of a luxury clothing store.

The unrest has shaken the government months before a presidential election in which Macron cannot run again. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen said the administration was "running on fumes, exhausted and disoriented." Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged Macron to respond to protesters' demands, saying young people "need this episode to reach a positive conclusion."

Opposition politicians on both left and right called for the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez after the government appeared caught off guard by the scale of the violence. Macron said he had asked Nuñez to "draw all necessary lessons," particularly on intelligence gathering, and expected "clear answers."

Scale of destruction and human cost

Traders' unions said more than 1,500 shops and businesses were ransacked, with damage running into tens of millions of euros. In Limoges, the 19th-century town hall was burned down; the mayor said those who stormed the building "were not demonstrators that defend causes" but "people organised for war." In Marseille, masked groups stormed city hall and a police station. The historic tourist office in Lyon was torched.

A 17-year-old boy lost his right hand to a crowd-control grenade in Saint-Étienne, and a 17-year-old girl lost an eye in Mulhouse, according to prosecutors. A police officer died in Nantes after being struck by a vehicle, and one protester died of cardiorespiratory arrest north of Paris, officials said.

Macron said top officials would "make decisions in coordination with mayors to protect our cities, public buildings, and businesses," and he pledged support for affected businesses. "Seeing the streets of our cities ransacked in this way is unbearable," he said.