Macron Says Rioters Tried 'to Bring Down the Republic'

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday voiced the public's "anger" and "shame" over rioting and looting during nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. At least 1,800 people have been arrested, the AP reports. "Those who looted will have to pay back for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable," Macron said in a televised address to the nation. He blamed the violence on "insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals."

Macron earlier held an emergency meeting with senior government officials, a day after masked groups set fires and attacked public buildings, including city halls, in several cities. He said he had instructed prefects to work with mayors to protect public buildings and businesses in the coming weeks, including by prohibiting protests when necessary. Hundreds of protesters gathered again on Sunday at the Place de la République in Paris in the face of a heavy police presence. Officers used tear gas as tensions flared sporadically in the neighborhood, with small groups of people trying to set bicycles and trash bins on fire. Political leaders across the spectrum sought to parlay the fallout from Saturday's riots into political capital, looking ahead to next spring's presidential election.

Far-right leader and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen criticized Macron's centrist government as "exhausted, disoriented and seemingly incapable of doing anything other than commenting on its own powerlessness," in a video posted Sunday. Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who joined the Paris march Saturday, insisted that "those who share our fight have no business in looting or destruction," per the AP. President Trump posted "France is burning!" on Truth Social, apparently linking the unrest to "the immigration of people from an entirely different world" and writing, "Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!" French authorities and police have not linked immigrants to the rioting.