In speech on France riots, Macron says, ‘We all feel anger and shame’

By AFP Today, 9:29 pm

1 Edit

France’s President Emmanuel Macron, center, hosts an Interministerial Crisis Meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace, in Paris, on October 18, 2026, the day after nationwide riots. (Ludovic Marin/ Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron says, “Nothing justifies” the “unbridled” violence seen in nationwide protests over the rising cost of living and other grievances this weekend.

“Tonight, we all feel anger and shame,” Macron says in an address to the nation, adding that there must be a distinction between protesters with “legitimate demands” and “those who destroyed, smashed, and looted.”