French President Emmanuel Macron spent Friday evening enjoying a Céline Dion concert with his wife, Brigitte. By Saturday, much of France was dealing with burning cars, looted stores, and rioters attacking government buildings.
Nero had a fiddle. Macron had Céline Dion.
Macron and his wife were spotted in a private box at Friday’s concert outside Paris. Brigitte was singing and dancing, apparently having a wonderful time. The couple kept their arrival and departure quiet, though someone still managed to get footage of them.
French authorities put Saturday’s crowd at 550,000. The unions claimed 800,000. Either way, the streets were packed. Students had been protesting for weeks over lousy school conditions and a lack of teachers. By Saturday, they had plenty of company. Union members, Yellow Vests, and people angry about their pensions and grocery bills all showed up.
And then came the people interested in smashing things.
Police in Paris faced masked mobs throwing projectiles and setting barricades alight. Banks and shops had their windows broken. Several luxury retailers were looted, along with a mobile phone store. Marseille’s city hall was stormed and vandalized. Lyon’s tourism office burned.
Little of the roof remains on Limoges’ city hall. The building is more than a century old, and somebody decided to torch it Saturday. The local prefect said the fire was deliberate. It came close to taking the entire building.
Sunday’s police report brought the number of arrests to at least 1,800. More than 500 officers, gendarmes and firefighters had been injured. Paris police also confirmed a death from a heart attack, although the circumstances were still under investigation.
The accounts out of Marseille included something far worse than another trashed storefront.
On CNews, veteran French journalist Paul Amar said attackers had addresses of Jewish-owned shops before the violence began. He also said there was a street where Jewish businesses burned, and Muslim businesses did not.
“They came prepared. They had the addresses of town halls. They had addresses of Jewish shop owners.In a street in Marseille, all businesses owned by Jews were set on fire. Businesses run by Muslims weren’t.”
Amar’s allegations have not been independently confirmed.
Macron condemned the destruction Saturday, promising to prosecute those responsible.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu blamed the “ultra-left” and criminals. Police unions reported officers were attacked with bricks and clubs, with the UNSA union warning its members were approaching their limit.
Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon complained that police had blocked demonstrators from Place de la République, accusing authorities of provoking confrontations.
By Sunday, protesters had also been spotted near the Louvre, raising fears the violence could reach one of the world’s most iconic cultural landmarks.
Meanwhile, demonstrators were gathering again at Place de la République. Macron was preparing to meet with his ministers and deliver a televised speech at 8 p.m.
Quite a weekend. Friday night, Céline Dion. Saturday, burning barricades. Sunday, an emergency address.
Probably not the encore Macron had in mind.
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