Macron relentlessly faces one crisis after another

As soon as the harsh social conflict over the pension reform was over, the president Emmanuel Macron faces a wave of youth violence in the suburbs of cities caused by the death of a young man shot by the police.

When he managed to get out of the crisis triggered by his unpopular pension reform, the president gave himself 100 days, until July 14, to “appease” the country and put his second presidential term on track, an objective that seemed to be on the right track.

However, two weeks before the deadline, the leader encountered an eruption of urban violence that has already chained five nights of riots and looting, after the death on Tuesday of Nahel17 years old, shot by an agent for skipping a traffic control.

If a few days ago, Macron took a bath of crowds in the neighborhoods “sensitive” of Marseille (south) today the city accumulates, like other cities and towns in France, images of town halls, schools or trams on fire, and looted shops.

“This is very bad news for the head of state and his strategy of letting himself go until July 14, betting on the usual inactivity of the month of August and the remodeling of his government in order to close the parenthesis of pensions”, says political scientist Bruno Cautrès.

Urban unrest also forced the president on Saturday to postpone his state visit to Germany, scheduled for Sunday.

Emmanuel Macron wishes “stay in France in the next few days”, indicated the Elysium.

The visit of Charles III of England in March has already been canceled due to the social crisis of pensions.

“After the yellow vests, COVID-19, the war in Ukraine… nothing was spared”laments a member of the parliamentary majority.

Olympics in a year

For Bruno Cautrès, the current situation “is too much”, at a time when the French have, more than ever, “a very great feeling of loss of perspective”.

“People are stunned, amazed to see our country chain tensions, violence and crises, one after another,” he says.

During the pension crisis, the head of state was criticized for excessive authoritarianism and verticality; he now runs the risk of facing the exact opposite reproach.

“He will be judged on his ability to reduce tensions. For him, the risk is appearing weak and lacking in resolution”, stresses Professor Jean Garrigues, an expert in political history.

Macron’s first statement after the death of the young man denouncing an “inexcusable” act by the police already caused ulcers among the right.

Then, the president denounced the “unjustifiable” violence that is burning the cities of France and affirmed that he is willing to adapt the device of the forces of order “without taboos” to the situation, although at the moment it does not seem that he is going to decree the state of emergency demanded by the right and ultra-right.

In any case, the executive will have to review its priorities and return security issues to the top of the list, as well as face the debate on the rules of police intervention.

“No leader can risk a new outbreak like this in a few months”, considers Bruno Cautrès, especially with just over a year to go before the Paris Olympic Games.

And, just as it worked for President Jacques Chirac and his interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, during the riots in the suburbs of 2005, a “policy of firmness could also pay off for Emmanuel Macron”, argues Jean Garrigues.

Source: AFP