Police 'lost control' during French protests, says interior minister

Macron estimated that some 60,000 law enforcement personnel had been deployed across the country.

French police "lost control" during nationwide protests marred by violence over the weekend, the interior minister admitted Monday, with President Emmanuel Macron calling for a security review.

Macron also refused Interior Minister Laurent Nunez's resignation even as he acknowledged security and intelligence failures in the government response.

Saturday's demonstrations saw some half a million people turn out across France to protest the cost of living, but morphed into some of the worst violence to rock the country in years, with town halls and shops looted and set ablaze.

More than 2,500 people were arrested, while almost 1,000 members of the security forces were injured. Injuries were also reported among protesters, with one demonstrator's hand blown off by a police crowd-control grenade.

Source: Standard