The French Prime Minister, Sebastian Lecornu, communicated on the night of this Saturday that the disturbances resulting from the massive protests recorded in much of the country —called to denounce the situation of public education, the high cost of living, and police violence, among other complaints— have resulted in more than 1,200 people detained and a balance of 150 police officers injured.
In a press conference held late, Lecornu detailed to the media present these more than 1,200 arrests, which he linked to "extremely dangerous profiles." At the same time, he described it as a "miracle" that the number of injured is not "more serious" than announced, set at 150 injured police officers across the country, considering the intensity and nature of the mobilizations.
During his speech, the head of the Government took the opportunity to hold La France Insoumise, the party led by leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, responsible, accusing it of "being on the side of the rioters."
"You are either on the side of the Republic --and, therefore, of the law enforcement forces, who protect people and their property and enforce the law-- or on the side of the rioters," he stated during a visit to the officers deployed in the center of Paris, after declaring that a "point of no return" had been reached.
On a day marked by protests and episodes of violence, the Prime Minister reiterated that "the time has come to choose sides," in a message explicitly directed at Mélenchon's party, with which he has maintained a tough confrontation since the beginning of the student mobilizations and ahead of the upcoming general elections scheduled for April and May 2027.