ISTANBUL, Oct 19 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- French President Emmanuel Macron, emphasising the need to maintain law and order and restore calm announced on Sunday that prefects could prohibit certain demonstrations, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
Macron addressed the nation from the Elysee Palace in Paris following massive nationwide protests Saturday organised by the Yellow Vest movement with support from student unions and trade unions that escalated into widespread urban destruction.
“My fellow citizens, I am addressing you this evening at an extremely serious moment,” he said.
"Yesterday, Saturday, Oct 17, extremist far-left groups, together with numerous criminals who contributed to their activities, unleashed uncontrolled violence in our cities," Macron said.
He called on political parties and trade unions to unequivocally condemn the violence.
He also stressed that prefects could take measures, including banning certain demonstrations, to protect their cities.
“The country needs order and calm, not an escalation of tensions,” Macron said, noting that numerous shops had been looted and that stores, public buildings and municipal buildings had been attacked.
Macron said that when people in the country watched footage of the demonstrations, they asked themselves: “What is going through their minds? How can the French do this to France?”
“Seeing the streets of our cities devastated in this way is unbearable,” he said, adding that everyone felt anger and shame over what had happened.
Macron noted that some shopkeepers had been forced to protect their businesses from criminals.
“I want to tell them that they will not be left alone in the face of these difficulties,” he said.
He announced that the government would begin offering solutions to shopkeepers the following day.
He added that Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu would chair an emergency meeting the next day to provide assistance to business owners as quickly as possible.
Macron said law enforcement officers had faced unprecedented levels of violence in many cities Saturday but “stood their ground and did the best they could.”
He said that in the coming days, Lecornu would bring together representatives of political parties, trade unions and high school and university students.
He also called for transparency regarding the government’s strategy for maintaining public order.
“I have instructed the government to draw all the necessary lessons regarding intelligence gathering and anticipation and to ensure that this never happens again,” he said, adding that he wanted clear answers and investigations into the events surrounding the demonstrations.
Macron attributed the roots of these concerns to the war that began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran, emphasising that France had taken measures to secure its oil supplies.
“I understand our high school and university students,” he said, adding that their voices needed to be heard.
He said France deserved to hold a proper presidential election in six months, as planned. He emphasised that the government favored dialogue and opposed all forms of violence.
The Yellow Vest movement organised demonstrations across France on Saturday to protest the rising cost of living and high fuel prices.
Around 2,400 people were taken into custody nationwide, while around 1,000 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU