Weekend violence sweeps France

Rioters torched buildings and looted thousands of businesses across the country this weekend. More than two thousand five hundred people were taken into police custody by Monday evening.

Government deploys police and curfews

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promised a massive police deployment Tuesday ahead of demonstrations scheduled for October twenty-fourth. Overnight curfews were imposed around Paris' Place de la République and Les Halles shopping district.

Five weeks of escalating demands

Protests began in mid-September when high school students and teachers in Paris suburbs called for changes to overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages. Trade unions and Yellow Vest activists have since joined, broadening the movement.

Macron blames radical groups for violence

In a Sunday address, President Macron distinguished between peaceful protesters and rioters, saying radical far-left groups and criminals hijacked the protests. He promised those who sought to bring down the republic would be held accountable.

“those who sought to bring down the republic will be held accountable”

Debt and gridlock limit government options

France's public debt stood at nearly three point six trillion euros at the end of June, equivalent to one hundred nineteen percent of annual economic output.Macron's allies lack a parliamentary majority, making budget passage difficult.

Macron faces political crisis before elections

An Ipsos poll conducted October seventh to eighth put Macron's approval rating at just fifteen percent. France will hold presidential elections in April to choose his successor, as he cannot run for a third term.