PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron, under pressure after violent protests in France, acknowledged on Monday (Oct 19) “failures in anticipation and intelligence”, but refused the resignation of his interior minister, the Elysee presidential palace said.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez admitted Monday that the police “lost control” in some cities after demonstrations over the cost of living descended into some of the worst urban violence in France in years.
He said there had been a “lack of anticipation” in preparations and that he had tendered his resignation “because I felt responsible for everything that happened”.
Macron said Nunez should stay on given the need to keep a chain of command within the police and security forces, and has also asked Nunez to set up as quickly as possible new approaches to deal with looters, the Elysee said.
Some opposition politicians have called for the sacking of Nunez.
Nearly 2,400 people were arrested on Saturday, with almost 1,000 police and gendarmes injured, according to the interior ministry, as clashes between police and protesters, mass looting and fires erupted nationwide.
More clashes also broke out in Paris and Marseille on Sunday, where riot police intervened to prevent attempts to ransack businesses.
“The interior minister submitted his resignation to the president on Sunday,” the Elysee palace said in a statement.
“Given the necessity for continued leadership of law enforcement at this time, the president refused.”
Macron had asked Nunez to “take all necessary steps to ensure transparency over the failures in planning and intelligence that led to the violence”, the statement said.
The president had also instructed him to “put in place new operational methods for security forces” to handle the crisis.