French government in crisis talks after ‘colossal failure of the state’
Ministers, officials and police under pressure over response to days of violent unrest in cities across France
TL;DR
- Violent unrest across France led to burned public buildings, looted shops, and over 2,000 arrests.
- Politicians from both left and right called for the interior minister's resignation.
- President Macron stated there is "no place for violence" in France.
- Tens of thousands participated in peaceful protests for better public services and against the cost of living.
- Separate groups engaged in violence, burning, barricading streets, and clashing with police.
- Masked looters took advantage of the "chaos" to smash shopfronts and steal goods.
- Incidents included the burning of town halls in Limoges and damage in Marseille, Paris, and Lyon.
- Over 1,500 shops and businesses were ransacked, with estimated costs in the tens of millions of euros.
- About 600 police, firefighters, and paramedics were injured.
- Government and some opposition figures blamed "ultra-left" groups and criminals for the violence.