NOUMEA: President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France needed a return to authority \u201cat every level\u201d in response to recent riots sparked by the police shooting of a teenager.
\nThe killing of Nahel M., 17, during a traffic stop last month prompted protests, riots and looting, with many accusing the government of allowing a culture of institutional racism in the police force to fester.
\nCondemning \u201cthe burning of schools, city halls, gyms and libraries\u201d and \u201cthe violence of looting,\u201d Macron said: \u201cThe lesson I draw from his is order, order, order.\u201d
\nSpeaking on French television during a trip to New Caledonia, Macron added that \u201corder must prevail. There is no freedom without order,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cOur country needs a return to authority at every level, starting with the family,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWe must invest massively in our youth to provide them with a framework,\u201d Macron said.
\nThe president also reiterated his previous criticism of the role of social networks during the riots and looting, saying \u201cpublic digital order\u201d was needed \u201cto stop excesses.\u201d
\nHe said many young people used social media to organize meetups and riots, and even \u201cto enter into competition with each other\u201d during the riots.
\nOf the around 1,300 people being prosecuted for their alleged role in the riots, nearly half are under 18.
\nThe most intense urban violence since 2005 sparked a debate about law and order, immigration, racism and police brutality.
\nFollowing a reshuffle of his cabinet, Macron warned last week that the riots had highlighted \u201ca risk of fragmentation, of deep division, of the nation.\u201d
\nThere is a \u201cneed for authority and respect,\u201d he told Friday\u2019s cabinet meeting, and asked the new government \u201cto draw the lessons from what happened, and provide sound answers.\u201d
\nNew Caledonia is the first stop of Macron\u2019s Pacific trip which also includes Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea and during which he is expected to lay out a \u201cFrench alternative\u201d for a region marked by China-US tensions, his office said last week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NOUMEA: President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France needed a return to authority \u201cat every level\u201d in response to recent riots sparked by the police shooting of a teenager. The killing of Nahel M., 17, during a traffic stop last month prompted protests, riots and looting, with many accusing the government of allowing a culture […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":345321,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-345306","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n