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Macron vows rioters will pay, ties fuel price anger to Gulf war
In a televised address after a day of looting and arson across France, President Emmanuel Macron promised that rioters would pay, backed protesters’ grievances over fuel prices and said he would travel to the Gulf on Monday to secure energy supplies.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that the fuel prices driving France’s protests stem from the war in the Persian Gulf, a conflict France did not join, as he sought to separate peaceful demonstrators from the rioters who looted shops and torched cars across the country a day earlier.
Speaking from the Élysée Palace in a televised address at 8 p.m. local time, Macron said the nation felt “anger and shame” over Saturday’s violence. “Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it,” he said.
Fuel, the Gulf and a Monday trip
Macron acknowledged that the demonstrators, about 550,000 people nationwide according to the Interior Ministry, had raised legitimate concerns over the cost of living and fuel. He said the price rises originate in the Persian Gulf conflict and noted that France has worked internationally to secure fuel and gas since the war in Iran began in February.
“I will continue these efforts tomorrow morning by traveling to the Gulf countries to secure our supplies,” he said. He added that the government had reached agreement with fuel distributors on measures to pass savings through to prices at the pump.
“We must never confuse them”
Macron drew a sharp line between the protesters and the rioters. “We must never confuse them with those who destroyed, smashed and looted,” he said, blaming the unrest on “factious elements from ultra-left groups, joined by numerous criminals.”
“Those who destroyed must pay. Those who looted must repay,” Macron said, warning that “those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable.” He said the government would be unyielding toward those behind the violence and that dialogue did not mean weakness or impunity.
2,397 arrests, nearly 1,000 officers hurt
The Interior Ministry said Sunday evening that 2,397 people were arrested and 997 police officers and gendarmes were injured, seven of them seriously, in Saturday’s unrest, which hit cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and Limoges.
Macron praised the security forces for holding firm but promised “full transparency” about their response. He said he expected “clear answers” from Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on intelligence and planning, and asked the justice minister to make sure prosecutors act firmly.
Crisis unit and possible protest bans
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will lead a crisis unit on Monday to speed up aid to shopkeepers and residents hit by the damage. Prefects, working with mayors, will be able to ban some gatherings where needed, and Lecornu will ask parties, unions and professional groups to condemn the violence and call for calm.
Macron also spoke to the high school students whose three weeks of protests set off the wider movement. He acknowledged “a deep anxiety” among young people, noted that an Education Ministry online platform had drawn more than 100,000 contributions and said Lecornu would bring students, teachers, unions and employers together in the coming days.
No emergency rule
Macron stopped short of declaring a state of emergency or a curfew, options French media had reported were under consideration. With a presidential election six months away, he urged the French to settle their differences through debate rather than in the streets: “Our country deserves a fine presidential election in six months.”
The address followed a Truth Social post on Sunday by President Donald Trump, who wrote that “France is burning!” and blamed immigration for the unrest. Macron did not respond to Trump in his speech.
Opposition: “lamentable” and “cowardly”
Opposition leaders were quick to criticize the speech. Far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella called it “lamentable” and “cowardly,” while far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon said the government alone was responsible for the destruction because it had failed to keep public order. CGT union chief Sophie Binet said Macron “has understood nothing of what is happening in the country,” and former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, a presidential candidate, said: “Our country needs to be led.”
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