France’s interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, has offered to resign after admitting that police lost control in several cities during violent protests over the weekend. President Emmanuel Macron rejected his resignation and ordered him to strengthen the security response.
Nuñez acknowledged failures in preparing for the demonstrations, which began with student-led protests over education and widened to include anger over rising living costs and deteriorating public services.
Speaking on France Inter radio on Monday, the minister admitted that authorities had failed to anticipate the scale of the unrest and deploy enough officers to contain the violence.
“In some major cities, we lost control,” Nuñez said, pointing to the looting of hundreds of shops.
He said he had offered to step down because he considered himself responsible for what had happened.
Macron declined the offer, with the Élysée presidential office saying the country needed continuity in the leadership of its security forces. The president also called for new measures to tackle violent rioters and looters.
Violence spreads across French cities
The protests on Saturday, October 17, were marked by clashes between demonstrators and police, looting and damage to public buildings and businesses. Several cities, including Paris, Lyon and Marseille, experienced serious unrest.
The demonstrations followed weeks of student protests over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and concerns about investment in education. Broader public frustration over the cost of living and the state of public services added to the tensions.
Authorities deployed about 60,000 police and security personnel across France on Saturday. Nuñez nevertheless acknowledged that preparations had fallen short of what was needed to respond to the scale of the disorder.
The government has faced growing pressure to explain why the violence was not contained more effectively. The response has also drawn criticism from political opponents, who have questioned the minister’s handling of the crisis.
Macron faces pressure over security failures
Macron’s decision to keep Nuñez in office signals that the government intends to maintain its existing security leadership while reviewing the response to the unrest.
The president has also acknowledged failures in anticipating the violence and gathering intelligence, raising questions about how authorities assessed the risks before the demonstrations.
The protests have exposed wider tensions in France, where anger over education, public services and household expenses has fuelled demonstrations in recent weeks.
Although many people joined the protests to express political and economic grievances, the violence and looting have shifted attention towards public safety and the government’s ability to maintain order.
Nuñez now faces the task of restoring confidence in the police response while answering questions about the failures he has acknowledged. Macron’s refusal to accept his resignation leaves the minister in office, but under renewed pressure to demonstrate that authorities can better manage future demonstrations.
