DOMINANT ANGLE
Moscow is calling out a French authority that has been overtaken: its agencies are releasing reports of arrests, damage, and calls for resignation, while Macron's speech is mainly being reported as a promise of order.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to TASS citing AFP, 2,397 people were arrested and 997 law enforcement officers injured, including seven seriously.
- 02
Macron announced that prefects could ban certain gatherings and that Sébastien Lecornu would meet with parties and unions (TASS).
- 03
Jordan Bardella wrote that he expected Macron to "apologize and step down" (TASS).
ANALYSIS
En Russie, October 18. The agencies are reporting on the riots of Saturday, October 17, in terms of a numerical toll and the collapse of authority. TASS reports that in the evening, following the address from the Élysée, Emmanuel Macron spoke of a "very serious moment" and "unleashed violence from left-wing radical groups". He asked the government to draw lessons from this, mentioned bans on gatherings by prefects, and tasked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu with bringing together parties and unions to obtain a clear condemnation of violence. Sputnik also quotes his request to "draw all the lessons" regarding intelligence and anticipation.
The numbers dominate the coverage. Interfax and Vedomosti relay Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez: over 2,000 arrests and more than 600 police officers, gendarmes, and firefighters injured. TASS, citing AFP, reports 2,397 people arrested and 997 members of the security forces injured, including seven seriously. Sputnik headlines "1,500 businesses affected" and hundreds of millions of euros in damage, according to the Paris city hall, whose deputy mayor believes the city lacked police resources. Interfax notes that the unrest continued on Sunday, with stores looted in Paris.
TASS details the scenes: a police station in central Paris attacked, according to central Paris mayor Ariel Weil, and the collapse of the belfry of the Limoges city hall after a fire. The mayor, Guillaume Guérin, speaks of "chaos for the country" and claims that the rioters "came to kill".
The political aspect is provided by the opposition. TASS publishes the comments of Jordan Bardella, who expects Macron to "apologize and leave", and Marine Le Pen, who mentions a "deep crisis of trust and authority". Sputnik notes that opposition officials are calling for the resignation of Laurent Nuñez and that a parliamentary inquiry commission is being considered.
The Russian media limit themselves to economic causes in the form of "rising fuel prices" and "decreasing purchasing power". They repeat the discrepancy between the organizers (800,000 protesters) and the ministry (550,000, including 110,000 in Paris).
