00:01French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned those responsible for looting and vandalizing
00:07cities across France, describing the scenes as shocking amid protests over the rising
00:13cost of living.
00:14In a televised address to the nation on Sunday, Macron said the acts were unjustifiable and
00:20had left the country feeling anger and shame.
00:22Hier, samedi 17 octobre, des factieux, issus de groupuscules d'ultra-gauche, rejoints
00:29par de nombreux délinquants, se sont livrés à une violence débridée dans nos villes.
00:34Des commerces ont été pillés, des bâtiments publics, des magasins, des mairies ont été
00:40attaqués et pour certains détruits, et plusieurs centaines de policiers et de gendarmes ont été
00:46blessés.
00:47En regardant ces images, nous nous sommes tous demandés qu'ont-ils dans la tête ? Comment
00:52des Français peuvent faire cela à la France ?
00:55He also ordered a review to determine whether there had been any failures in intelligence
01:00gathering or police preparedness ahead of the protests, which were later marred by looting
01:05and violence.
01:06Hier, plusieurs centaines de milliers de nos compatriotes ont manifesté avec la volonté
01:12de porter des revendications légitimes.
01:15Jamais nous ne devons confondre ces derniers avec ceux qui ont détruit, cassé, pillé.
01:21Ces manifestants ont fait part d'une inquiétude sur le coût de la vie, sur le prix des carburants, qui
01:26trouvent leur source dans le conflit lancé dans le golfe Persique, auquel la France n'a
01:30pas pris part, et dont nous subissons les conséquences.
01:33Je comprends parfaitement leur inquiétude.
01:35Macron said prefects and mayors would be given the authority to ban certain gatherings where
01:40necessary.
01:41He also called on the government to bring together students, teachers, lawmakers, trade union
01:47representatives and business leaders this week to develop concrete proposals to address
01:52the crisis.
01:53Macron said all parties must work together to find solutions.
01:57He added that France deserved to hold a proper presidential election in six months,
02:03as scheduled, emphasizing that the government favored dialogue and opposed all forms of violence.
02:09The Yellow Vest Movement organized demonstrations across France on Saturday to protest against
02:15the rising cost of living and high fuel prices.
02:18around 2,400 people were taken into custody nationwide, while approximately 1,000 police officers,
02:26gendarmes and firefighters were injured.
