Macron condemns ‘seditious acts’ by ‘ultra-left’ and says he will seek to ban some protests – Europe live
Özet haber: French government will show ‘absolute’ determination to stop the riots, Macron says As we are waiting for Macron, first details of the planned police response to this weekend’s protests are emerging. Junior interior minister, Jean-Didier Berger, said that the police presence will be “20% higher” than last weekend, with reinforcements from the army, elite police forces and gendarmerie. Continue reading...
It’s a strong political response from Emmanuel Macron as he seeks to draw a clear line between legitimate demonstrations organised by recognised trade unions and the looser, often spontaneous gatherings called by the “ultra-left” that descend into rioting and street violence – and show the state’s determination to fight back against the latter.
The signal he wants to send is very clear – but in the age of social media, can top-down regulation actually work? And will authorities have enough resources on the ground to respond to every banned demonstration? Hm.
Macron declares the government will show “absolute” determination to stop the riots, with a “multi-pronged” approach in response to the events to restore order. He says that legitimate demonstrations held by trade union groups will be “reviewed in accordance with our laws” and allowed to go ahead in a way ensuring they can go ahead safely, with potential changes to their routes and subject to additional conditions.
But he says any other protests, not organised by trade unions, will “wherever possible” be “prohibited entirely”. On substance, he says that PM Lecornu will meet with student organisations next week to work on “legitimate requests and grievances”. He ends by saying that he will hold further meetings with relevant authorities tomorrow.
Macron begins by acknowledging there were some “shortcomings” in response to last weekend’s protests, with “an element of surprise.” He says the government needs to learn from that and apply it to this weekend’s events. He says that local authorities have been empowered to adopt local measures, such as bans on gatherings, and the judicial system is “fully mobilised” to respond to events.
The president backs the justice ministry’s call for seeking harsh punishments for those involved in the riots. He then makes it very clear what he makes of the riots: “We witness both political and even seditious acts carried out by organised ultra-left groups aiming to bring down the Republic - acts that these groups themselves openly claim, characterised by extreme, intense violence.”
Finally! France’s Macron is speaking now after this morning’s security council meeting on protests across the country. I’m listening and will bring you the key lines here.
The international criminal court and its officials have been awarded the prestigious 2026 EU Sakharov human rights prize, the European parliament’s speaker Roberta Metsola just announced.
“The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this prize recognises the important work of the court in upholding international law and justice,” Metsola said. It’s the latest recognition for the ICC as it finds itself under growing pressure from its critics, primarily the US president, Donald Trump, and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I also want to use this moment to recognise Tundu Lissu from Tanzania, and Taraneh and Romina Rahimi on behalf of all those persecuted by the Iranian Islamic Regime,” Metsola added. The award ceremony will take place in December.
