French President Emmanuel Macron has admitted that the government's authorities were unprepared for the nationwide unrest on October 17.
"We did not foresee at all what happened," Macron said during a visit to Marseille, noting that on that day law enforcement was insufficient. The president's speech was broadcast on the Elysee Palace page in Aix. According to him, "On October 17, such a large number of far-left extremist elements began mobilizing early in the morning, which is not typical for them."
On October 17, mass protests took place in Paris and throughout France against the rise in fuel prices and the decline in the purchasing power of the population. According to organizers’ estimates, 800,000 people participated, while the Interior Ministry counted 550,000, which doubled the forecasts of security agencies’ analysts. In several cities, protest actions turned into riots and clashes with the police. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has promised that authorities will continue to pursue all participants in the vandalism and looting.
