The French authorities have censured the "disorder" and violence recorded during the massive mobilizations this Saturday in the main cities of the country, called to denounce the situation of public education, the rising cost of living, and the recent episodes of police violence. The day has resulted in 2,000 people arrested and more than 500 agents injured, according to the latest balance released by the French government.
The Ministry of the Interior has estimated that 550,000 protesters took to the streets across French territory. "Aside from these marches, some vandals opted for violence" and "vented their anger on public buildings serving citizens, such as town halls or prefectures, but also on numerous businesses that were attacked, looted, some even set on fire."
The Executive has condemned these incidents by emphasizing that "Nothing justifies these acts!" and has highlighted the work of the security forces and firefighters deployed, "sometimes putting their own safety at risk" to contain the disturbances and protect the population.
In the capital, Paris, 720 arrests have been recorded, of which 517 have turned into formal detentions. Among the detainees are 171 minors and 346 adults, according to official data.
The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Núñez, has denounced through social media the assaults against law enforcement, as well as the attacks on institutions, public buildings, and private businesses. Furthermore, he has warned that, "unfortunately," the health balance provided so far is only provisional.
Núñez has attributed the responsibility for these violent acts to "several thousand individuals from the far right" who were later joined by "criminals" who "looted and devastated" numerous establishments in cities like Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, Limoges "and many others."
"The Republic will not yield anything to those who want to impose disorder and violence," the minister emphasized, in line with the message from President Emmanuel Macron, who already warned the day before that the perpetrators of the disturbances will be "pursued and punished." Macron has announced that he will address the nation at 8:00 PM on Sunday.
In parallel, the French Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, has sent instructions this Saturday to the prosecutors across the country to request provisional imprisonment for those involved in attacks against the Police or against public buildings. For its part, the count from the public channels TF1 and LCI places the number of looted or attacked businesses in French territory at 615.
Concentrations and new calls to mobilize
After the massive protests on Saturday, this Sunday around a thousand people have gathered again without authorization in the Place de la République in Paris. From this same place, the large march on Saturday in the capital began, which started late due to clashes between groups of protesters and police officers.
Since 2:00 PM on Sunday, participants have been gathering in this central Parisian square, where security forces have resorted to the use of tear gas and a water cannon in order to disperse those gathered, according to the French press.
This Sunday, the call from the Association of Mayors of France (AAF) has also been made public, which has called for organizing gatherings in front of all the town halls in the country to express their rejection of the episodes of violence, looting, and fires of public buildings recorded in recent days.
"These serious attacks against democratic institutions constitute a real risk for the entire nation," they have warned from the AAF. Therefore, they have issued a call to "the mayors and municipal councils to join, along with all the actors who wish to do so," on Monday at noon.
According to the authorities' estimate, about 550,000 people participated in the demonstrations called this Saturday across France. The General Confederation of Labor (CGT), the main union in the country, raises that figure and claims that more than 800,000 attendees joined the mobilizations.