French President Emmanuel Macron rejects interior minister Nunez’s offer to resign after violent protests

French President Emmanuel Macron rejected Interior Minister Nunez’s resignation offer after weekend riots, urging him to stay and devise anti-looting measures.

French President Emmanuel Macron has declined Interior Minister Laurent Nunez's offer to resign after widespread weekend rioting, the Elysee presidential office said on Monday.

Macron said Nunez should stay to ensure a chain of command is retained within the police and security forces, and has also asked Nunez to set up as quickly as possible new approaches to deal with looters. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS)

The demonstrations have been sparked by public anger over rising living costs, faltering public services and also the state of schools.

Macron said Nunez should stay to ensure a chain of command is retained within the police and security forces, and has also asked Nunez to set up as quickly as possible new approaches to deal with looters, the Elysee added.

Deep Dive

Why did Emmanuel Macron reject Interior Minister Laurent Nunez’s offer to resign?

What prompted the protests that turned violent in France?

What did Macron ask Laurent Nunez to do after the riots?

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Nationwide demonstrations erupted into riots on Saturday, with a town hall torched, shops pillaged and buildings covered in graffiti as violent groups clashed with police in cities.

More clashes also broke out in Paris and Marseille on Sunday, where riot police intervened to prevent attempts to ransack businesses.