How the Protests in France Spiraled as Police 'Lost Control'

A protester wrapped in a French flag stands in front of Lyon's burning tourism office in southeastern France, on Oct.

17, 2026 —Jeff Pachoud—Getty Images France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on Monday admitted that police “lost control” in some cities over the weekend as violent protests erupted across the country, while French President Emmanuel Macron called for a review of the police response to the rioting and looting.

Nuñez said there had been a "lack of anticipation" ahead of the demonstrations on Saturday and acknowledged that policing numbers had fallen short in some areas as hundreds of thousands took to the ​streets to protest over, what they say are, underfunded public services and rising cost-of-living pressures.

The demonstrations followed weeks of ‌student protests that had also seen some violence.

In the wake of the chaotic scenes, Nuñez offered his resignation to Macron because he "felt responsible” for how things unfolded.

Macron refused to accept it, due to “the need for a continuous command of the police,” the Élysée Palace told TIME.

Instead, Macron has called for the Interior Ministry to “take all necessary steps to ensure transparency over planning and intelligence failures” and to put an end to the barricades and looting.

As France aims to regain full control of its streets, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has extended local mayors the power to enforce “partial curfews,” in an effort to protect businesses and people.

The French government has also vowed to create a fund to financially assist shops that were impacted by the riots.

The Interior Ministry reported that around 550,000 people had taken to the streets on Saturday.

A French trade union put the number at over 800,000.

Nuñez on Sunday said that more than 2,000 people had been arrested and over 600 police officers and firefighters injured.

In Paris, at least 300 businesses were vandalised, Dominique Restino, the head of the Paris chamber of commerce, told BFM television.

Alongside the violence in the capital, what started out as peaceful protests in Marseille and Lyon also turned violent as rioters descended.