France arrests over 2,300 after violent protests

French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nunez following violent nationwide protests that left hundreds of security personnel injured and caused extensive damage to businesses.
Nunez admitted on Monday that police had lost control in several major cities during Saturday’s demonstrations, which drew about 500,000 people protesting against the cost of living.
The protests descended into violence, with shops and town halls looted and set ablaze. More than 2,300 people were taken into police custody nationwide over the weekend, while nearly 1,000 security personnel were reported injured. Some demonstrators were also hurt, including one whose hand was reportedly blown off by a crowd-control grenade.
Nunez acknowledged that authorities had failed to anticipate the scale of the unrest and that the number of officers deployed was insufficient to contain rioters and looters operating around the demonstrations. He said about 60,000 law enforcement personnel had been deployed nationwide on Saturday.
The minister said he had offered to resign in view of the damage caused, but Macron turned down the offer, citing the need for continued leadership of the security forces.
The President instead directed Nunez to ensure transparency over planning and intelligence failures that contributed to the violence. He also ordered the introduction of new operational methods to help security forces respond to rioting.
Violence continued into Sunday. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said about 30 shops were targeted in the capital, describing the scenes as unbearable. Nunez said around 350 people were arrested in Paris on Sunday and overnight.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said more than 2,330 people had been taken into custody nationwide over the weekend, about 70 per cent of them adults.
Alain Di Crescenzo, president of France’s chamber of commerce, estimated that more than 2,000 shops had been affected, with the damage expected to run into hundreds of millions of euros.
In a televised address on Sunday, Macron condemned the violence and said local authorities could ban certain rallies in the coming days if necessary. However, he did not announce measures such as a state of emergency or a curfew.