Macron: All those who looted during the demonstrations will have to pay for the damages

French President Emmanuel Macron stated today that all those who looted during the demonstrations in France will have to pay for the damages.

“Those who looted will have to pay for the damages, and those who tried to overthrow the Republic will be held accountable,” Macron said during his address.

He also pointed to the “unrestrained violence” carried out by “rebellious elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals.”

Macron held an emergency meeting with senior government officials, a day after masked groups set fires and attacked public buildings.

In the city of Limoges, flames engulfed the 19th-century city hall, causing the roof to collapse and the building itself to be almost completely destroyed.

On Paris’s Place de la République, several hundred demonstrators gathered again today, with a strong police presence.

Police used tear gas as tensions occasionally flared in that part of the city, and small groups of people tried to set bicycles and garbage bins on fire.

“The right to protest is a fundamental right. Deliberately and collectively causing unrest through violence – that is not,” wrote Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on X, pointing to the looting of hundreds of businesses in cities such as Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and Bordeaux.

According to authorities, about 550,000 people participated in protests across France, while organizers estimate that number at around 800,000.

Demonstrators responded to calls from unions, student organizations, and activists.