France unrest: Macron urges calm after 2,400 arrests amid riots, looting

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for calm and order after violence swept across France, leaving cities including Paris and Marseille in ruins, shops looted and hundreds of businesses damaged. The government reported nearly 2,400 arrests nationwide and about1,000 police officers injured after demonstrations over living costs and public services turned violent on Saturday, Reuters reported. One protester died after suffering a cardiac arrest during demonstrations in Paris.

Addressing the country on Sunday, Macron condemned the destruction and said peaceful demonstrators had legitimate grievances, but those responsible for destruction would be held accountable. He has ruled out an immediate state of emergency but said regional officials could ban demonstrations where necessary to protect public buildings and businesses.

The unrest spread across Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille and Limoges, where masked groups attacked public buildings, set fires and looted shops. The violence happened after a month of student protests over poor school conditions and teacher shortages, which drew support from trade unions and members of the Yellow Vest movement in France that took place during 2018-2020.

The damage has extended from luxury boutiques to supermarkets, electronics stores and local businesses. According to the French publication Le Monde, France's retail industry has warned that the cost of the destruction could run into hundreds of millions of euros, with more than 1,500 shops affected.

Luxury stores in Paris were among the targets, Le Monde reported. According to the report, the Kooples, Hugo Boss, Jott, and Lancel boutiques in Lyon were looted, and BNP Paribas bank branches in Grenoble and Quimper were vandalised. A Celine boutique on Avenue Montaigne was completely looted, while the shopfronts of Louis Vuitton and Jil Sander were damaged by projectiles. Stores belonging to Kenzo, Salomon and Arc'teryx were also attacked, Le Monde reported. In Bordeaux, an Apple Store was ransacked, and a Decathlon outlet was set on fire. The Galeries Lafayette group reported significant disruption across much of its network, particularly its department stores in Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes, Perpignan, Tours and Chambéry.

Carrefour, France's largest retailer, reported damage to 50 stores, including 20 that were looted. Chief Executive Alexandre Bompard told French broadcaster BFMTV that the cost of repairs and other damage to the group would run into tens of millions of euros, Reuters reported.

Bompard, who also heads the French Federation of Retail and Wholesale Commerce, estimated the losses across the wider retail sector at several hundred million euros. More than 1,500 shops had been affected, he said, according to Le Monde. The estimate is provisional, and a comprehensive assessment of the nationwide damage was not yet available.

In Limoges, fire gutted the historic town hall and caused its clock tower to collapse. Mayor Guillaume Guérin told Reuters that the attack appeared deliberate and threatened to resign if the city did not receive the funds needed to repair the building.

In Marseille, masked protesters forced their way into the city hall and damaged its interiors, including toppling a statue of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic. In Lyon, the tourist office at Place Bellecour was set on fire. In Bordeaux, a masked group invaded the local prefect's residence.

The demonstrations began with students demanding action on teacher shortages, poor school facilities and overcrowded classrooms. The movement gained support from trade unions, left-wing political groups and participants in the Yellow Vest movement against the fuel taxes. The movement subsequently widened into protests against the cost of living and economic inequality.

The Saturday mobilisation drew between 550,000 and 800,000 people nationwide, according to figures from the Interior Ministry and organisers respectively. While many marched peacefully, smaller groups clashed with police, attacked public buildings and looted shops.

France's national statistics agency, Insee, reported that consumer prices rose 3.1 per cent year-on-year in September, up from 2.4 per cent in August. Energy prices climbed 21.3 per cent over the year, while petroleum-product prices rose 36.2 per cent.

The government has also proposed a €54 billion ($60.7 billion) fiscal adjustment in its 2027 budget, including €43 billion ($48.3 billion) in measures in the draft budget and social-security financing legislation. The plan targets bringing the public deficit down to 5 per cent of gross domestic product in 2027, from a projected 5.4 per cent in 2026.

The government has promised support for affected businesses. Economy Minister Roland Lescure said those responsible for the destruction would be held accountable and would have to pay for the damage. “Those who break things will pay, repair the damage and be held accountable for their intention to sow chaos,” Lescure said in a statement.

Macron said the government would respond to businesses' concerns, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was due to chair a crisis meeting with business groups on Monday to discuss losses and possible assistance.

The government has blamed ultra-left groups and criminals for the violence, while left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has criticised the authorities' handling of the protests and called on Macron to address students' demands

The Guardian reported that the Interior Ministry had opened 36 internal investigations into allegations of police violence. Among the cases were teenagers who suffered serious injuries involving police weapons, including a 15-year-old who lost a hand after a stun grenade exploded near a protest.

Meanwhile, clean-up operations continued in affected cities on Sunday, with shopkeepers securing damaged premises and local authorities assessing the destruction. The government is due to meet business representatives on Monday to assess the damage and discuss assistance for affected retailers and other businesses.