France: Macron vows 'strong measures' to combat protests

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that his government would announce a package of "strong measures" in response to weeks of street protests over a broad set of grievances. Speaking in Marseille, he warned that fresh demonstrations planned for Saturday were "risky" and said protest routes would stay outside city centers. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told BFM he expected further disturbances on October 31. Macron said French authorities had "not anticipated at all" the scale of demonstrations, which turned violent with looting in several cities, and said social media was "damaging our democracies." He said he had asked the government, led by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, to respond to "legitimate demands" behind the movement, including student concerns over education and university admissions. Authorities deployed 70,000 police on October 24 and made 1,435 arrests, according to Deutsche Welle.

Where accounts differ. Deutsche Welle reports Nunez highlighted organized far-right groups confronting left-wing activists, an account that appears only in Deutsche Welle and not in South China Morning Post.

Deutsche Welle (DW)South China Morning Post

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