French interior minister admits police lost control in some cities as Macron rejects resignation
France's interior minister said police lost control in some cities during violent protests, offered his resignation, but President Macron refused it for leadership continuity.
Key Takeaways
AIFrench Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted on Monday that police "lost control" in some cities during violent unrest that erupted across the country during last weekend's protests, as violence and disorder escalated nationwide.
The minister added that authorities arrested 350 people in Paris on Sunday in connection with the violence accompanying the demonstrations.
Nuñez pointed to "gaps in anticipation" during preparations and said he had submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron "because I felt responsible for what happened," but Macron did not accept it.
The Élysée Palace stated that Macron refused the interior minister's resignation, even as the French president acknowledged on Monday there had been "failures in anticipation and intelligence gathering." Macron faces mounting pressure following the violence on the sidelines of the weekend protests.
The Élysée said, "The interior minister submitted his resignation to the president on Sunday, but the president refused it, given the need for continuity in the leadership of the security forces under the current circumstances."
The same source added that "the president tasked the interior minister with taking all necessary measures to transparently identify the failures in anticipation and intelligence gathering that led to the outbreak of violence."