France Unrest: President Emmanuel Macron Rejects Interior Minister’s Resignation After Riots And Looting Expose Police Failures | VIDEO
· Free Press Journal

Paris, October 19, 2026: French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s resignation following widespread rioting and looting across several major cities over the weekend, asking him to remain in office to address urgent policing challenges, the President’s office said on Monday.
Macron declined the resignation “given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context”, according to an official statement.
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He directed Nuñez “to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence”, the statement said.
The President also called for “new policing tactics on the ground as quickly as possible” to prevent further violence, the Associated Press reported.
French President #Macron refused Interior Minister Laurent Nunez’s resignation following violent protests across Nearly 2,400 people were arrested, 1,000 police officers injured, and 1,500 businesses targeted. Nunez admitted security failures, but Macron kept him in office to maintain stability and promised accountability. #ParisRiots #FranceProtests
— Global Brief (@globalbrief_now) October 19, 2026
Violence Spreads Across French Cities, 2,400 Arrested
Groups of people set fire to rubbish bins, bicycles and other objects on Sunday evening and looted shops and businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and several other cities.
The unrest followed widespread violence on Saturday during nationwide demonstrations against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.
Police arrested at least 2,400 people across France as the protests descended into clashes, vandalism and looting.
Authorities reported that groups comprising hundreds of people confronted police and targeted public buildings, including city halls and government offices.
Interior Minister Accepts Responsibility For Unrest
Speaking to France Inter radio on Monday, Nuñez said he had offered to step down because he considered himself accountable for the violence.
“I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that is happening,” he said.
“Now, the real issue is ensuring that this doesn’t happen again. … We obviously need to be better at anticipating the kind of mobilisation that is unfolding,” Nuñez added.
He blamed the violence on “hordes of troublemakers and looters” and “far-left activists” while acknowledging that law enforcement strategies needed to change “in the face of extremely mobile groups”.
Police Lost Control In Major Cities, Admits Nuñez
Nuñez acknowledged that authorities had “lost control” in some major cities on Saturday, when hundreds of businesses were looted.
“You can’t look shopkeepers in the eye when hundreds of businesses have been looted and say we haven’t lost control in some of these major cities. Obviously,” he said.
His remarks came amid growing scrutiny of police preparedness, intelligence-gathering and the authorities’ ability to contain rapidly moving groups involved in violence.
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In Limoges, central France, a fire engulfed the 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse and leaving the historic building almost completely destroyed.
Meanwhile, authorities in Marseille imposed restrictions on public gatherings to prevent further unrest. The city’s prefect banned all protests and other gatherings from noon until 8 pm on Monday.
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