Macron accuses the "extreme left" of inflaming the streets

Macron accuses the "extreme left" of inflaming the streets The French president separates students from violence and vandalism, but assures that "those who have tried to overthrow the Republic will have to answer for their actions" The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, appeared on Sunday evening, after several weeks of disturbances, demonstrations, and protests in the streets and a particularly dramatic Saturday for the country. "I address you this evening at a time of extreme gravity," he began. "Riots originating from far-left groups, to which numerous criminals joined, looted shops and destroyed public buildings. Why burn the City Hall of Limoges? How can they reach such an extreme? Nothing explains it, nothing justifies it. We all feel anger and shame," he stated without specifying any measures and appealing, substantially, to the passage of time. "There are six months left until the elections." The head of state, who announced the creation of a crisis cabinet to monitor the expected violence in the coming days, admitted that the violence suffered had been "unheard of" and accused far-left groups supported by "numerous criminals." "I have asked the Government to extract all the necessary lessons in intelligence, and it will be done with full transparency. Investigations will be carried out with the utmost (...) firmness," he explained. "Our judges deliver justice in your name and know what you expect from them. Those who have destroyed must pay for it; those who have tried to overthrow the Republic will have to answer for their actions." The day of demonstrations and violence on Saturday left a balance of 2,000 arrests, 855 of them in Paris alone. There are 600 injured police officers and 1,500 shops looted or destroyed. Macron also regretted not having better information about what could happen and demanded explanations about the failures of the intelligence services. A statement that invites thought about imminent cuts in that department of public administration. The president, whom many had demanded in the last hours that he declare a "state of emergency," announced that certain gatherings will be prohibited in the coming days. But he called for calm and reminded that there are elections in six months. There is no need to agitate the streets, he insisted without a single word to the students mutilated by the police explosive devices. And, like the rest of political forces, he directly pointed to Jean-Luc Mélenchon's La Francia Insumisa for supposedly encouraging the revolt. "All those who explain today that the emergency is to go out into the streets only pursue one objective: to hijack the debate. Debates should not take place in the streets or through violence. They must take place with respect, never in the middle of disorder and destruction. Our country deserves exemplary presidential elections within six months." Macron also wanted to separate the agitators from the students. "We must never confuse protesters who have legitimate demands with those who have destroyed, ruined, and looted," he insisted. "Our youth feels a deep anguish (...) about their future and their ability to find their place in society. I understand our secondary school students and our university students, and they occupy a central place in my commitment to public life. Their voice must be heard. Our responsibility is twofold: to hear the indignation and to firmly uphold the republican order." The destructions swept across the country on Saturday. A group of agitators entered and vandalized a police station and then occupied the entrance to the City Hall of Marseille, forcing the door. The mayor was forced to personally ask Macron for reinforcements. The same happened in other cities like Lille or Rennes... Or in Lyon, where flames consumed the tourism office: "It is a drama," lamented its mayor, Grégory Doucet. The most spectacular and devastating image was that of the City Hall of Limoges (130,000 inhabitants) completely burning and collapsing. The violence, far from stopping, returned to the streets on Sunday. Just two hours before the crisis meeting presided over by the head of state, Emmanuel Macron, the streets adjacent to the Place de la République were once again the scene of races, throwing projectiles, and looting of shops. As the hours pass, the conviction grows that a large part of the disturbances were protagonized by people not associated with the student protest. A type of violence more similar to that observed when there is a victory of PSG or the French national team than what the student protests left during the previous week. The original gathering was quickly dispersed with tear gas, but then several groups dispersed into the surroundings, amid growing confusion that raised the tension in the neighborhood again. At the Valmy dock, along the St Martin canal, a pile of bicycles was set on fire, which forced the intervention of the firefighters. Several police officers were deployed to secure the area and were met with shouts of "ACAB" (All Cops Are Bastards; All the police are bastards, in English).