Emmanuel Macron travelled to Marseille without prior announcement on Monday, arriving at the city hall around midday to inspect damage left by unrest on 17 October, according to BFM. The president was accompanied by Marseille mayor Benoît Payan, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Sabrina Roubache, and briefly viewed the harm done to the building, where demonstrators had entered during the earlier disturbances.
BFM reports that a bust of Marianne was knocked to the ground and shattered during that episode, and that it remains broken inside the municipal building, alongside graffiti still visible on its walls. The Élysée's official programme, as cited in the coverage, had Macron moving on to the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture around 12:30 to meet business figures whose premises were damaged, before closing the visit at about 13:35 by thanking and speaking with members of the security forces.
Why it matters
The trip places the president personally at the scene of some of the most visible damage from a month of social unrest, and gives him a platform to defend his government's handling of it. Speaking from Marseille, Macron argued that the Republic and public order are being upheld without recourse to a state of emergency — a step he said many had criticised him for not taking. He described the authorities' approach as rigorous and firm, per BFM.
President acknowledges 17 October was not anticipated
Macron conceded that the violence of 17 October had not been foreseen, saying there had not been enough forces deployed that day, as elsewhere. He attributed the surprise to the scale of far-left mobilisation that began early in the morning. He also credited the security forces with doing very good work, noting that order had held in Marseille and across the country during Saturday's demonstrations.
Looking ahead, the president said next Saturday's protests would carry risk, and that march routes would be kept away from city centres. He said he had asked the government to address the legitimate demands at the root of the movement, promising strong announcements and progress in the near term.
Interior minister reports injuries and continued curfews
Laurent Nuñez told BFMTV-RMC that 24 October had been a controlled day, while warning that curfews would continue in parts of the country. He said 267 members of the security forces and more than 250 demonstrators were injured over the weekend, according to BFM.
Government turns to student talks
The Marseille visit came as the government sought to regain the initiative after a fresh weekend of demonstrations that passed off largely calmly. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was due at Matignon in the afternoon to receive lycée organisations and then student groups, promising very concrete answers. Education Minister Édouard Geffray and Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste were expected to take part and to hold a press conference later in the day. The expected subjects include Parcoursup, the state of school buildings and the number of university places, with the new term starting in a week.
Macron met lycée representatives on Friday and assured them commitments would be made, saying he favoured reforming Parcoursup. Nathanaël Combary, president of Renouveau Lycéen, said ahead of the Matignon meeting that his group expected concrete answers after more than a month of mobilisation, BFM reports.
Separately, the president of the National Assembly will propose that deputies observe a minute's silence in tribute to Pengo Bossio Wangi, killed on Friday in the racist terrorist attack in Trappes, Yvelines, according to BFM.
What to watch: whether Lecornu's promised measures on Parcoursup, buildings and university capacity calm lycée and student anger before the school year begins, and how Saturday's marches unfold under the revised routes.
