Macron accused of being ‘out of touch’ for Kuwait trip as France gripped by violence
Protests turn violent
More than half a million people took to the streets over the weekend to protest rising living costs and public services they viewed as dysfunctional. Demonstrations in Paris, Marseille and Lyon were peaceful before rioters intervened on Saturday.
Hundreds of buildings were vandalised in Paris, and more than 2,400 people were arrested amid confrontations with police. The mayors of France’s largest cities called on the government to explain what they described as inadequate security-force preparation for rioting and looting.
Gulf tour draws criticism
Macron began a Gulf tour on Monday, a visit announced by the Elysee Palace the previous week. The trip came as France faced the fallout from the demonstrations and violence.
Benjamin Morel, a constitutional law expert at the University of Paris-Panthéon-Assas, said the tour could convey normality but also risked seeming detached and suggesting a power vacuum. David Lees of the University of Warwick said it could recall Charles de Gaulle’s secret flight to West Germany in 1968, during a period of unrest and strikes.
Political pressure mounts
Organisers using the name ‘17octobregiletjaune’ said they planned another round of demonstrations the following weekend. They urged Macron to leave office and make way for the people. Justice minister Gerald Darmanin said the protests exposed shortcomings in the security services’ response to threats from people he called far-left protesters. Morel blamed the violence on the “ultra-left” and said intelligence agencies had warned of possible attempts to disrupt the next presidential election.
Macron’s options to respond are constrained by strained public finances and a divided parliament, unlike during the Yellow Vest protests of 2018-2019, when he offered billions of euros in concessions. Marine Le Pen is presenting herself as a law-and-order candidate, while former Macron ally Loïc Kervran called the end of the president’s term a “slow agony” on X.
Key points
- More than half a million people protested over living costs and public services.
- Violence in several cities was followed by more than 2,400 arrests.
- Macron’s Gulf tour, including Kuwait, drew criticism over its timing.
- Mayors demanded answers on security preparations as organisers planned more demonstrations.