French President Emmanuel Macron has refused Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s offer to resign, despite what were described as “failures in anticipation and intelligence” that reportedly worsened the recent crisis. The decision follows widespread riots across France over the weekend.
President Macron stated that Nuñez should remain in his post to ensure the chain of command is maintained within the police and security forces. The Élysée Palace, quoted by Reuters, added that Macron has also asked Nuñez to quickly establish new approaches to deal with looters and implement new operational methods for security forces.
Saturday saw significant unrest, with public buildings burned, hundreds of shops destroyed and looted, and at least 2,400 people arrested in cities nationwide. In a television interview on Monday, Nuñez acknowledged that police “lost control” in some cities during the protests. Macron criticised “unbridled violence” in an address to the nation, questioning how French people could inflict such damage on France.