French President Macron Meets with Mayors to Address Riots and Economic Damage

French President Emmanuel Macron met with more than 200 mayors to take stock of the riots sweeping France as a massive police deployment continued to calm the chaos overnight.

Medef, a French employers’ lobby group, estimates that the economic damage caused by violence has exceeded 1 billion euros (approximately 1.1 billion U.S. dollars) since the 17-year-old North African youth Nahel was shot dead by the police on June 27. 200 shops were looted, 300 bank branches and 250 tobacco shops were destroyed. The figure only covers businesses and does not include damage to schools, town halls or community centres.

The riots exposed long-standing racism and injustice in France, especially in mixed-race neighborhoods around towns. Opposition parties across the political spectrum have cited the crisis as evidence of the government’s inability to guarantee public safety and narrow economic inequality.

Geoffroy Rudbezieux, president of the Federation of French Business Movements, told Le Parisien: “Video of the riots has spread around the world and has damaged France’s image. It is difficult to say whether the riots will have long-term effects. , but hotel bookings are definitely down this summer, even though it’s always the peak season. Many tourists have already canceled their bookings.”

Macron met police and firefighters in the evening to express his support. He met with the mayors of more than 200 towns and cities affected by the violence on July 4 to discuss the current situation.

The number of arrests continued to decline, to 72 from a peak of more than 1,300 on June 30, as French authorities deployed 45,000 police and other armed forces on a fourth night.

Government figures show the number of burned vehicles or damaged buildings peaked on June 29 and has declined every night since. Nearly 3,500 people have been arrested since the unrest broke out a week ago.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire met shopkeepers in the town of Arpajon, south of Paris, to discuss the fallout from the crisis. He told reporters that French insurers had agreed to extend the time for shop owners to submit claims for damages caused by the riots from five to 30 days.

Le Maire said insurers would also consider reducing deductibles for claims by individual businesses most affected by the violence and promising to pay compensation as soon as possible. In addition, he said the government would also remove social and fiscal charges for the worst-affected shopkeepers.

“If your shop is razed and your life’s business wiped out, the country will have your back,” he said. “We will do everything we can to help economic activity across the country recover as quickly as possible.”

In addition to the attacks on public buildings, there was another attack that was widely condemned: a burning car crashed into the home of the mayor of La Illeros, a French suburb of Paris. His wife and two children escaped through the back door.

The unrest has become another political minefield for the French president. He sparked months of strikes and protests this year by raising the French retirement age. Images of riot police taking to the streets again have done further damage to France’s credibility, which could come at a greater economic cost as the government comes under pressure to speed up debt cuts.

Labor unrest and street demonstrations, which are frequent in France, have become increasingly violent and confrontational in recent years, reflecting the divisions in French society. Before the pension protests and Covid-19, the so-called Yellow Vest Movement had wreaked havoc on property.

Nahel (whose surname was officially withheld by the authorities) was buried in his hometown of Nanterre on July 1. He was shot dead at close range in the car there. The officer who fired the shots has been charged with murder and is in custody awaiting trial. Laurent-Franco Lienard, the policeman’s lawyer, told Europe 1 Radio that the policeman was convinced he needed to shoot. (Fortune Chinese website)

Translator: Liu Jinlong

Reviewer: Wang Hao

President Emmanuel Macron met with more than 200 mayors to assess the riots that have rocked France as a massive police deployment led to a continued drop in the level of unrest overnight.

French employers’ lobby Medef estimated the cost of violence since the police shooting of Nahel, a 17-year-old of North African descent, June 27 at more than €1 billion ($1.1 billion), with 200 businesses looted, and 300 bank branches and 250 tobacco stores destroyed. The estimate covers businesses and doesn’t include damage to schools, town halls or community centers.

The violence has underscored long-running tensions over racism and inequality in the country, especially in ethnically mixed neighborhoods around cities and towns. The opposition at both ends of the political spectrum has seized on the crisis as evidence that the government is failing to ensure public safety and narrow economic disparity.

“The videos of the riots that circulated around the world hurt the image of France,” Medef head Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux told Le Parisien newspaper. “It’s always difficult to say if the impact will be long lasting, but there will certainly be a drop in reservations this summer, although the season had seemed promising. Many have already been canceled.”

Macron, who met with police and fire fighters overnight in a show of support, met with the mayors of more than 200 towns hit by violence later on July 4 to discuss the situation.

The number of arrests continued to fall — dropping to 72 from a peak of more than 1,300 on June 30 — as authorities maintained a deployment of 45,000 police and other forces across the country for a fourth night.

The number of vehicles burned or buildings damaged has dropped each night since peaking on June 29, government data show. All told, close to 3,500 people have been arrested since unrest began a week ago.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire met with store owners in the town of Arpajon south of Paris to discuss the fallout from the crisis. Speaking to reporters, he said French insurers have agreed to extend the delay for store owners to make damage claims resulting from the riots to 30 days from five.

Insurers will also consider reducing the deductibles on claims for those independent businesses worst hit by the violence and have pledged to pay compensation as quickly as possible, Le Maire said. The government may in addition scrap social and fiscal charges for shop owners who’ve been the most impacted, he added.

“If your store has been burned to the ground and a life’s work has been reduced to ashes, the state must be by your side,” he said. “We’ll do everything necessary so that economic activity can calmly pick up again in our country as quickly as possible.”

In addition to going after official buildings, one attack in particular brought widespread condemnation — the ramming of a burning car into the home of the mayor of L’Hay-les-Roses, a Paris suburb. His wife and two young children escaped the house through a back door.

The unrest is another political minefield for the French president after he pushed through an increase in France’s retirement age this year that was preceded by months of strikes and protests. Images of riot police once again battling in the streets further tarnish the country’s reputation, potentially adding to the economic toll just as the government faces pressure to speed up debt reduction.

Labor unrest and street demonstrations happen regularly in France but have taken on a more intense and confrontational tone in recent years, reflecting divisions within French society. Before the pension protests and the pandemic, the so-called Yellow Vest movement caused widespread property damage.

Nahel, whose last name has officially been withheld by authorities, was buried on July 1 in Nanterre, his hometown where he was shot at close range in a car. The officer who fired the gun has been charged with murder and is in pre-trial detention. Laurent-Franck Lienard, a lawyer for the officer, told Europe 1 radio that the policeman believed he needed to shoot.

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2023-07-06 11:30:00