Macron prohíbe "ciertas reuniones" en Francia tras el estallido violento

In France, a day of protests against rising costs led to over 2,000 arrests and 600 police injuries due to violent clashes, attacks on public buildings, and looting of businesses. The day of demonstrations, called in response to the cost hike, marked one of the most socially tumultuous episodes in recent years. More than 600 police officers were injured, and around 2,000 protesters were detained after demands escalated into "clashes, attacks on public buildings, and looting of stores."

The Federation of Commerce and Distribution estimated the damages to be "hundreds of thousands of euros" for the approximately 1,500 stores vandalized. According to the Paris Police, one person died during the events due to a heart attack. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu requested the provisional imprisonment of the arrested individuals and presided over an emergency interministerial crisis cell dedicated to the aftermath of the protests' outbursts.

According to the Interior Department, around 550,000 people took to the streets during the day of protests, while the organization of the marches counted 800,000 participants. Late in the evening, President Emmanuel Macron appeared after holding an emergency meeting with top French government officials to express his condemnation of the events, saying he felt "shame" and "anger."

The head of state ruled out "for now" declaring a state of emergency in the country, although he announced he would continue to meet with political groups to address an issue he gave the utmost seriousness to, granting municipalities the power to prohibit "certain meetings" in case of the possibility of further organized violent episodes.

"Those who destroyed must pay. Those who looted must restore. Those who tried to overthrow the Republic will have to answer for it," Macron stated, announcing that "investigations will be carried out with all necessary diligence and with the utmost firmness." Macron called on political parties "to condemn all types of violence and call for calm."

"We all have a responsibility. We will call all formations to obtain clear positions," he affirmed. The French President accused "extremists from the extreme left" of the violent incidents. Within the French government, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez also condemned the attacks, stating that "the right to protest is a fundamental right; but deliberately and collectively generating disturbances is not."

The protests, called in response to the price surge, particularly of fuel, following the war in Iran, took place six months before presidential elections, where polls show a less favorable outcome for Emmanuel Macron.