Macron calls for return to 'authority and respect' after French riots

President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France needed a return to authority "at every level" in response to recent riots sparked by the police shooting of a teenager.

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks before presenting the insignia of Commander of the Legion of Honor to Marie-Claude Tjibaou, widow of the assassinated Kanak leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou, during a ceremony in Noumea on July 24, 2023. AFP - LUDOVIC MARIN

Speaking on national television during a trip to France's overseas territory of New Caledonia on Monday, Macron condemned "the burning of schools, city halls, gyms and libraries" and "the violence of looting", which took place in several cities in France.

'Order must prevail'

The rioting was precipitated by the killing of Nahel M. (17) by police during a traffic stop last month. 

During the protests, many accused the government of allowing a culture of institutional racism in the police force to fester.

Macron, added during the interview that France "must invest massively in our youth to provide them with a framework," but he also added that "order must prevail. There is no freedom without order."

Interview au 13h de TF1 et de France 2 depuis la Nouvelle-Calédonie. https://t.co/aekE9VRd0x

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 24, 2023

He added: "Our country needs a return to authority at every level, starting with the family."

The president also reiterated his previous criticism of the role of social networks during the riots and looting, saying "public digital order" was needed "to stop excesses".

• Riots in France’s banlieues are over for now, but deep-rooted anger remains

He said many young people used social media to organise meetups and riots, and even "to enter into competition with each other" during the riots.

Of the around 1,300 people being prosecuted for their alleged role in the riots, nearly half are under 18.

The most intense urban violence since 2005 sparked a debate about law and order, immigration, racism, and police brutality.

Deep divisions

Following a reshuffle of his cabinet, Macron warned last week that the riots had highlighted "a risk of fragmentation, of deep divisions" in France.

There is a "need for authority and respect", he told Friday's cabinet meeting, and asked the new government "to draw the lessons from what happened, and provide sound answers".

New Caledonia is the first stop of Macron's Pacific trip which also includes Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea and during which he is expected to lay out a "French alternative" for a region marked by China-US tensions, his office said last week.

• Macron's visit to New Caledonia shows Paris' concern over Chinese influence

En vol vers la Nouvelle-Calédonie, accueilli par nos Rafale qui viennent confirmer que la France est une puissance de l’Indo-Pacifique ! pic.twitter.com/yj8r1PHOMi

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 24, 2023

(With news agencies)