French President Emmanuel Macron was to give a televised address at 1800 GMT on Sunday, his office said, in the wake of violent protests that rocked the country.
The broadcast was to take place after a meeting between Macron and various ministers, the Elysee said. Ministers have blamed “ultra-left” groups for the violence, which erupted six months before the French go to the polls to elect Macron’s successor. It was to come as France counts the cost of the previous day’s protests, which saw clashes, arson and widespread looting. The French president was scheduled to leave Monday for a three-day trip to four Arab countries in the Gulf caught up in the Middle East war. That conflict, started when the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February, has led to soaring fuel prices and higher inflation worldwide. Those cost-of-living concerns sparked Saturday’s nationwide demonstrations in France, which degenerated into violence. They followed four weeks of high school student protests that at times also turned violent.
