Where's Macron? French leader blasted for attending concert as riots escalated

Macron Attends Concert While France’s Protests Turn Violent

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, was seen at a Celine Dion show on Friday evening in the Plenitude Arena outside Paris just a day before nationwide demonstrations erupted into violence. The contrast between the singer’s glittering performance and the chaos that followed drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders, law‑enforcement officials, and the public alike.

Macron and his wife, Brigitte, entered the arena in a discreet car and left shortly after the concert. They were among an estimated 35,000 spectators, according to French media. The show took place after the president had spent Thursday and Friday in Brussels for a European Council meeting, during which he urged the public to “exercise the right to protest with calm and respect for people and property.”

The following day, a wave of demonstrations that had been growing in size and intensity over issues such as rising living costs, deteriorating school conditions and public‑service cuts spread across France. In Paris, the city of 2.1 million, and in other major cities including Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon and Limoges, crowds clashed with police, set fires, looted businesses and vandalised public buildings. The violence left more than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters wounded. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that 1,798 people were arrested nationwide, with 855 of them taken into custody in the Paris region. A protester died after suffering a cardiac arrest during the clashes in the capital.

A fire that was said to have been deliberately set at the historic town‑hall in Limoges caused significant damage. In Marseille and Bordeaux, local officials announced emergency assistance for businesses that had been hit by the unrest. Carrefour’s chief executive, Alexandre Bompard, told television that 50 of the retailer’s stores were damaged, including 20 that were looted, with losses in the tens of millions of euros.

On Sunday, Macron addressed the nation from the presidential office, pledging that those who had damaged property, attacked public buildings and looted shops would face prosecution and punishment. “The violence was used to undermine France’s institutions,” he wrote on the social‑media platform X. “I am fully supporting law‑enforcement and urging the public to respect the rule of law.”

The president’s statements came as the government wrestled with questions about its preparedness for the demonstrations and its ability to contain the unrest. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu blamed “ultra‑left” elements and criminals for the violence, while opposition leaders offered diverging viewpoints. Right‑wing politician Marine Le Pen condemned the looting and destruction, whereas left‑wing figure Jean‑Luc Mélenchon defended the protesters’ broader grievances and criticized the government’s handling of the protests, calling Lecornu’s approach “playing with fire.”

The protests, which began as a student movement over school conditions and teacher shortages in working‑class suburbs, had swelled into a larger movement against inequality, public‑spending cuts and the rising cost of living. Organisers estimated that roughly 800,000 people took part in the demonstrations, while official counts placed the number of participants at over 550,000.

In the aftermath, the mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon have requested a meeting with Prime Minister Lecornu to discuss the damage and the next steps for recovery. Local officials have urged the government to provide swift and comprehensive support for affected businesses, especially those hit by looting and fire.

The situation remains volatile. French authorities are in the process of preparing prosecutions for those arrested, and the country is beginning a nationwide cleanup effort. The next key moment will be Macron’s planned address to the nation at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, which will test the administration’s response to the scale of the destruction, the police response and the underlying economic grievances that fuelled the protests.