France Riots: Macron Rejects Interior Minister's Resignation
Is refusing to resign after riot chaos defending the republic from thugs or proving failure at the top carries no cost?
Story
Above: Sébastien Lecornu (R) and Laurent Núñez at the Interior Ministry in Paris on Oct. 19. Image credit: Julien De Rosa/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
The Facts
- French President Emmanuel Macron refused Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez's resignation on Monday, citing "the need for continuous command of the forces of law and order in the current context," and asked him to deploy new methods against looters as soon as possible.
- Nuñez acknowledged on Monday a "loss of control" by police in some major cities on Saturday and a lack of anticipation, noting that 60,000 officers and gendarmes were deployed. He said he offered to quit because he "[was] responsible for everything that is happening."
- More than 2,330 people were taken into custody over the weekend – 70% of whom were adults. Meanwhile, Chamber of Commerce head Alain Di Crescenzo placed the damage to over 2,000 shops at hundreds of millions of euros.
Sources Split
LEFT
CENTER
RIGHT
+3
+1
+1
ESTAB
CRIT
CENTER
PRO
ESTAB
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
Smashing town halls and looting shops have nothing to do with legitimate protest, and a republic that flinches at that kind of violence stops being a republic. Whilst Nuñez is noble in taking responsibility for France's suffering, now is the time for the government to stick together and ensure the nation returns to stability.
Government-critical narrative
Nuñez's attempt to flee during a national security crisis, sparked by his own costly decisions, shows exactly the kind of character Macron's government is made up of. Nuñez must eventually leave office, but doing so at the height of domestic tension is an inexcusable act of cowardice, rivaled only by Macron's own decision to flee to the Middle East.
