French Minister admits Police ‘lost control’ of protests as Macron rejects his offer to resign

French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nunez after violent nationwide protests over the cost of living and education descended into looting and arson, the Elysee Palace announced Monday.

Nunez admitted on France Inter radio that police “lost control” in several cities during Saturday’s demonstrations and acknowledged a “lack of anticipation” in security planning. He confirmed he tendered his resignation to Macron on Sunday.

“I offered to resign because I am entirely responsible for what happened,” Nunez said. “On Saturday, in some major cities, you couldn’t look shopkeepers in the eye after hundreds of shops had been looted and tell them we hadn’t lost control.”

Macron, under pressure after one of France’s worst weekends of urban violence in years, acknowledged “failures in anticipation and intelligence” but refused to accept the resignation.

“The interior minister submitted his resignation to the president on Sunday. Given the necessity for continued leadership of law enforcement at this time, the president refused,” the Elysee statement said.

Macron has ordered Nunez to stay on to maintain the chain of command and to “take all necessary steps to ensure transparency over the failures” and to put in place new operational methods to deal with looters.

The Scale Of Violence

What began as peaceful student-led demonstrations over educational conditions and the high cost of living, with an estimated 550,000 to 800,000 people nationwide, was hijacked by ultra-left activists and criminal gangs, according to the government.

Official figures:

Nearly 2,400 to 2,500 people arrested on Saturday
Almost 1,000 police officers and gendarmes injured, seven seriously
About 1,500 shops and businesses ransacked and looted
Town halls set ablaze, including Limoges City Hall which lost its spire and roof

More clashes broke out Sunday in Paris at Place de la Republique, Marseille and Lyon, where riot police intervened to prevent further ransacking. In Marseille, authorities estimated up to 30,000 people were involved in looting.

In a televised address Sunday night, Macron said the nation felt “anger and shame” and vowed: “Those who sought to bring down the republic will be held accountable.”

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is expected to hold a crisis cabinet meeting today as unions plan further demonstrations next month.

Opposition politicians had called for Nunez’s sacking, while mayors of Paris, Marseille and Limoges criticized the government’s response.

Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said security services were effective against terrorism and organised crime but admitted: “Clearly, it is not tackling the far-left effectively.”