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Macron: 'How can French people do this to France?' Emmanuel Macron said France feels “anger and shame” after a day of protests that descended into rioters setting fire to cars and building led to 2,000 arrests on Saturday In a national address on Sunday evening, Macron expressed support for French law enforcement, mayors, shop owners, and families following the “unprecedented violence” the day before. Despite making clear that most protesters had taken to the streets peacefully with legitimate concerns, the French president warned the government would “make examples” of those who turned to looting and violence. More than 500,000 people took to the streets before violent groups clashed with police officers in demonstrations across the country.
In Limoges, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse, with the lootings of hundreds of businesses in Paris , Marseille , Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, and other cities. Macron held an emergency meeting with top government officials on Sunday afternoon, before addressing the nation at 8pm. US president Donald Trump hit out at the protesters, writing on social media: “ France is burning!” The protests began last month at high schools in Paris' poor northern suburbs, where anger over education facilities quickly morphed into a nationwide movement against inequality.
Recap: Macron calls for unity but warns France 'will not yield' to protesters Macron appealed during his address yesterday for unity across France after the violent scenes on Saturday. “Everyone must be accountable and take their responsibility,” he said. “We must make sure our youth believe in their future, believe they can be around the table, so we need all to sit round the table and build together the solution, students, pupils, teachers trade unionists, our local authorities, everyone must be together for the greater good,” he added.
But he said that for “those who want to spark violence and create unrest in our country, we will not yield”. Alex Croft 19 October 2026 07:00 What sparked the fiery protests in France – and how they could spread across Europe Hundreds of people were arrested and buildings set on fire across France on Saturday as protests over the cost of living crisis spread. In Paris, police fired tear gas into crowds on Saturday, while there were also violent incidents reported in Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers.
By Sunday, as the clean-up began, more than 1,800 people had been arrested. The turmoil marks the latest test for Emmanuel Macron’s presidency as France contends with both foreign and domestic troubles. The protests began in September, launched by students angry at the conditions at their high schools after the summer holidays.
However, they have since grown, fuelled by a wider group of protesters incensed about the cost of living. Here’s everything you need to know about the movement. Alex Croft 19 October 2026 06:00 More scenes from France's protests on Saturday (Reuters) (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty) (Reuters) Alex Croft 19 October 2026 04:29 Fresh clashes break out in Paris on Sunday Fresh clashes broke out in Paris on Sunday a day after France suffered one of its worst days of unrest in years.
Police again fired tear gas towards protesters at Place de la Republique and bikes were set on fire on Sunday afternoon, a sign that tensions had not fully subsided in the capital. Protests over high prices left one demonstrator dead, thousands arrested and shops across the country looted or damaged on Saturday. Alex Croft 19 October 2026 03:00 Far-left leader accuses French prime minister of 'playing with fire' Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who joined the Paris march, accused prime minister Sébastien Lecornu of "playing with fire" and alleging that "by banking on degradation, you have only succeeded in uniting all youths and workers' unions." Mr Mélenchon insisted that "my message is clear: those who share our fight have no business in looting or destruction." Alex Croft 19 October 2026 01:30 In pictures: French streets destroyed by looting and riots Ashes and rubbish on the side of a street, the day after clashes during a national day of demonstrations (Reuters) People walk past the damaged window of a McDonald's in Paris (Reuters) A woman stands next to a damaged Micromania-Zing video game retail shop at Jean-Medecin avenue in Nice (AFP/Getty) Alex Croft 19 October 2026 00:01 As France burns, Macron looks like a man who has lost control In his last few months as president of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron looks more than ever a man who lost control of events, lost touch with the nation he leads, and lost the confidence of international investors with it.
This is not a comfortable, confident position for any leader to be, but with a hung parliament hardly able to pass a budget and the very fabric of of the nation unravelling, this lame duck - who once promised so much with his unifying project of a radical centre - has been, and is, reacting in all the wrong ways to the malaise now enveloping his country. Rather than through, say, a television interview or a speech delivered in person, President Macron, so inappropriately aloof, chose initially to react to the protests that have broken out across France over the weekend, sparking disorder, violence and hundreds of arrests in a rather terse statement on X: “Those who took part in the vandalism, attacked prefectures and stores, and engaged in looting, including in city hall buildings, will be brought to justice and will be punished.” Read the full analysis here: As France burns, Macron looks like a man who has lost control The French national debt is too big, its economy too sluggish and its parliament and president jointly unable to get state spending down to sustainable levels - the mirror image of the complaint of the protesters, who want more spending on subsidies and schools. And so it’s in gridlock Alex Croft 18 October 2026 23:29 Emergency unit created to assess damage in Paris Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced the creation of an emergency unit to support businesses assess the damage.
"The scale of the damage is considerable and unprecedented," Mr Grégoire wrote in an open letter. "Paris is a city of freedoms, debate and demonstrations. It must remain so.
But it must also be a city where everyone can work and run a business safely." Police said groups of hundreds of people formed unauthorized marches across central Paris on Saturday. "By late afternoon, a new phase began with the arrival of large numbers of people whose sole aim was to steal and loot, taking advantage of the unrest," police said. Alex Croft 18 October 2026 23:01 107 police officers injured in Marseille, three seriously - ICYMI In Marseille, 107 police officers were injured including three “seriously”, according to one of the area’s prefects.
"Alongside the acts of looting and violence witnessed by the city of Marseille today, 107 police officers were injured, three of them very seriously," Jacques Witkowski, the prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, said according to Le Parisien. He added: "I respectfully thank the law enforcement officers who were mobilized on the front lines throughout the day and who are still holding on. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured men and women." Alex Croft 18 October 2026 22:23 Watch: Moment roof of Limoges town hall collapses after being engulfed in flames A tow hall in the central French city of Limoges has collapsed after it was set on fire on Saturday.
Dramatic footage shows the moment the historic building’s roof caved in as it was engulfed in flames. "The roof has collapsed onto the lower floors, except in the west wing, and two-thirds of the facade have already disappeared," state representative Maurice Barate said according to Le Parisian. Mr Barate described it as a "heritage catastrophe" and a "deliberate act by vandals." Local authorities have advised residents to avoid the area for safety reasons.
Alex Croft 18 October 2026 21:52
Source: The Independent
