French President Emmanuel Macron has called for "calm and order" after one of the most violent days of unrest in the recent past in the European nation, after largely peaceful anti-government protests turned into rioting and looting, leaving two people dead. In a national address from the Elysee Palace, Macron said "nothing justifies" the "unbridled violence" as police arrested around 2,400 people in cities across the country. Echoing other government officials in blaming much of the violence on far-left activists, Macron said the law would be brought to bear on those who had participated in rioting or damaged property. "Those who destroyed must pay. Those who looted will have to pay for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable," he said in a televised address to the nation.

 

The president also denounced "unrestrained violence" by "insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals." "Watching these images, we have all asked ourselves, how could French people do this to France?" he said in a televised address. Videos shared on social media from different parts of the country showed broken glass, burnt bicycles and debris on streets following the day's unrest. In the city of Limoges, in central France, protesters set the 19th-century City Hall on fire, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building. write in 599 words