Macron rejects the resignation of the Minister of the Interior and asks him for "new methods" against the protesters

BarcelonaThe French Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, has submitted his resignation after Saturday's massive demonstrations by students and workers against cuts to the education system and the rising cost of living ended in riots and destruction. President Emmanuel Macron has rejected the minister's resignation and asked him to deploy "new methods of action on the ground as quickly as possible (...) against the protesters," the Élysée announced this Monday.

"Given the need for continuous command of law enforcement in the current context, the President of the Republic has rejected" Nuñez's resignation. The head of state also reiterates the call for "transparency," and has pointed to "failures in anticipation and intelligence" that have led to disturbances, destruction, and the looting of numerous businesses.

The Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, is to chair an inter-ministerial crisis meeting to assess the extent of the damage and announce new measures. Macron addressed the French people on Sunday in a televised message during prime time in which he assured that acts of violence "have no justification," and attributed the looting and the harshest clashes to "far-left fringe groups" and "criminals," whom he dissociated from the students who have been protesting for weeks and who, he admits, raise "legitimate demands".