Macron admits France lacked enough police on Oct. 17 and says social media helped mobilize violence

French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged Monday that authorities had not deployed enough security forces during the Oct. 17 unrest and said the government had failed to anticipate the scale and composition of the violence.

Speaking in Marseille after meeting local officials and security forces, Macron said authorities had not expected so many far-left extremist groups to mobilize early in the day or criminal elements to join them.

“It is absolutely true that in Marseille, as elsewhere, there were not enough security forces on October 17,” Macron said. “We had not anticipated what happened at all.”

He also blamed social media platforms for worsening political polarization and helping direct people toward locations where attacks, looting and other crimes were taking place, describing them as “instruments for mobilizing the worst elements.”

Macron defended his decision not to declare a state of emergency after the unrest, saying France was maintaining public order without one. He added, however, that such a measure would not be “forbidden or taboo” if conditions deteriorated.

The president distinguished between the broader protest movement, which he said was rooted partly in high-school activism and anger over the cost of living, and far-left extremist groups involved in violence. The first, he said, required political and social dialogue; the second required a security response.

“The state will be there, and public order will be maintained,” Macron said.