Macron faces criticism after riot address and keeps interior minister in post

French President Emmanuel Macron faced criticism across the political spectrum on Monday, 19 October, over his Sunday address after a weekend of riots and looting in France. He also declined Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s offer to resign, with the Élysée saying he wanted Nuñez to maintain the police chain of command and develop measures against looting.

The Guardian described the breadth of the political response as a sign of Macron’s isolation. That was the newspaper’s assessment of the reaction, while Reuters separately reported the decision on Nuñez, citing the presidential office.

How French politicians responded to Macron’s address

Green leader Marine Tondelier accused Macron of summoning opponents to the prime minister’s office ‘like pupils to the blackboard’. National Rally president Jordan Bardella called the speech ‘lamentable’, while Marine Le Pen said France was caught between violence and impotence, the Guardian reported.

The criticism extended beyond those parties. Centre-right politician Bruno Retailleau said Macron was ‘totally overwhelmed’; left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused him of relying on inaction and police brutality. Former prime minister Édouard Philippe said he would have preferred decisions that could restore order and state authority, according to the Guardian.

Why Macron kept Laurent Nuñez in office

The Élysée said Macron rejected Nuñez’s offer to resign so the police and security forces would retain a chain of command, Reuters reported. Macron asked the minister to devise new approaches to dealing with looters as quickly as possible. AFP also reported the refusal and said Macron had acknowledged security and intelligence failures after the weekend violence.

The unrest included attacks on public buildings and businesses, according to the Guardian. It reported that Limoges city hall was set on fire and Marseille’s city hall was invaded. Those incidents form the backdrop to both the calls for a stronger response and Macron’s decision to keep the interior minister in place.

Macron’s Gulf visit after the unrest

Macron arrived in Kuwait on Monday at the start of a Gulf tour that AFP said was intended to strengthen economic and defence partnerships. Visits to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar were planned by Wednesday. Before leaving France, Macron said the trip was needed to ‘secure our supplies’, referring to demonstrators’ concerns about fuel prices, AFP reported.

The French presidency said talks in Kuwait included plans for fuel stocks from Oman for the French overseas territories of Réunion and Mayotte. AFP reported that French armed forces minister Catherine Vautrin signed a letter of intent on defence cooperation with her Kuwaiti counterpart. Energy expert Francis Perrin told AFP he did not expect the visit to affect fuel prices.