Follow-Up: Macron Addresses the Nation: Blames Ultra-Left Groups and Criminals for Riots, Says Destroyers Must Pay and Looters Reimburse, Lets Prefects Ban Gatherings

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation in a televised speech from the Élysée Palace at 8 p.m. Paris time on Sunday (October 18), responding to the protests and riots that swept French cities on October 17. Before the address, he chaired a 5:30 p.m. meeting at the Élysée with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and the ministers concerned. Macron blamed the arson, looting and attacks on public buildings on "troublemakers from ultra-left fringe groups, joined by large numbers of criminals," said he shared the anger and shame the images provoked, and declared: "Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it."

He listed the targets by name: the town hall of Limoges set ablaze, the tourist office in Lyon burned, the city hall of Marseille broken into, and the prefect's residence in Bordeaux attacked. "Those who destroyed must pay. Those who looted must reimburse. Those who sought to bring down the Republic will have to answer for it," he said, vowing that toward rioters and all who commit violence "we will be unyielding," and that "listening and dialogue mean neither weakness nor impunity."

On the government's response, Macron announced that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will chair a crisis cell on Monday (October 19) to mobilize aid quickly for damaged businesses and local authorities — "they will not be left alone to face these difficulties." He said he had asked the government to "draw every lesson in terms of intelligence and anticipation" so that such events cannot recur, promising clear answers and full transparency on Saturday's policing operation. Prefects, working with mayors, are to take measures to protect city centers, public buildings and shops, "including, where necessary, banning certain gatherings." He also called on political parties and professional and union organizations to condemn the violence "unambiguously" and appeal for calm, saying "the country needs order and calm, not escalation."

Macron also drew a clear line between peaceful protesters and violent offenders: hundreds of thousands of people marched on Saturday over the cost of living and fuel prices, and "we must never confuse them with those who destroyed or looted." He linked fuel prices to the consequences of the conflict in the Gulf, in which he noted France took no part, and said he would travel to Gulf countries starting Monday to work on securing France's energy supplies. Addressing the high-school and university students who have been mobilizing since mid-September, he said, "I understand our high-school and university students," citing a "deep anxiety" in schools and universities over living and study conditions, orientation and future prospects; a government consultation platform has already gathered more than 100,000 contributions, and the prime minister will bring students, teachers, employers, unions, local authorities and lawmakers together in the coming days to work on proposals.

The address did not declare a state of emergency or impose a curfew. According to figures released on Sunday by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, more than 2,000 people were arrested across France on the October 17 protest day and more than 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured; two people died — a protester who suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest north of Paris, and a 22-year-old police officer in the western city of Nantes who was struck by a third-party vehicle. Macron closed with an appeal for "unity, calm and respect," saying that with about six months to go before the presidential election, the coming political debate must take place in public meetings, the media and peaceful gatherings — "never in disorder and destruction."

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 资料照片：2026年9月3日，法国总统马克龙（右）在伦敦唐宁街10号与英国首相 Andy Burnham 交谈。图片来源：英国首相府（Number 10），英国开放政府许可证 OGL 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。File photo: French President Emmanuel Macron (right) speaks with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at 10 Downing Street, London, on September 3, 2026. Photo by Number 10, Open Government Licence v3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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