Marseille bans Monday public gatherings as Macron rejects interior minister’s resignation

Paris, France. Marseille imposed a ban on public gatherings for Monday following violent weekend protests. President Emmanuel Macron declined Interior Minister Laurent Nunez’s resignation offer, instead demanding urgent measures against barricades and looting and openness about intelligence shortcomings, the Elysee said.

Security response under scrutiny

The presidential office said on Monday that Nunez, previously the police chief in Paris, had offered to step down after the riots. Macron rejected the offer and instructed him to develop new approaches urgently to stop the disorder.

According to the Elysee, Macron also called for transparency about failures in anticipation and intelligence that had allowed the violence to occur.

Speaking to France Inter radio, Nunez said 60,000 police officers and other security personnel had been deployed across France on Saturday. He acknowledged that the deployment had proved insufficient to contain violent crowds in some cities.

Demonstrations over public services

Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated during the weekend over public services that many protesters described as deteriorating and dysfunctional. They said citizens were being left to cope on their own while facing pressure from living costs.

Initially peaceful demonstrations in numerous locations, including Paris, Marseille and Lyon, were rapidly taken over by rioters, resulting in vandalism and widespread disorder.

The unrest followed weeks of student protests punctuated by episodes of street violence. It has shaken France with six months remaining before the next presidential election, adding to pressure from economic weakness and rising debt.

Budget and government pressures

The apparent security failures have prompted fears of divisions within Macron’s fragile government, just as it needs to secure passage of a much-needed budget bill aimed at bringing public finances under control.

Those concerns are expected to add to investor unease as France deals with the aftermath of the weekend violence.