Macron blames social media for weeks of protests and rioting in France

Emmanuel Macron has blamed social media for the weeks of protests and rioting in France. The French president claimed on Monday that social media is 'damaging our democracies' after his government has struggled to contain the violence and looting across the country. He said on a visit to Marseille that social media was especially used during unrest on October 17 'to bring young and not-so-young people to places where criminal acts, attacks and looting were taking place'. Mr Macron also described social media as 'tools for mobilising the worst impulses' and warned that a new wave of protests this weekend could turn 'risky'. The president said 'next Saturday is expected to be another risky day' but he assured that protest routes would remain outside city centres to protect public order.Mr Macron also acknowledged that authorities had 'not anticipated at all' the scale of the demonstrations a week earlier.His comments in Marseille come after rioters briefly stormed the city hall on October 17.Mr Macron, alongside prime minister Sébastien Lecornu, met with students demanding better school conditions as the French government seeks to draw a line under weeks of violence and looting. Emmanuel Macron meets French police officers during his visit to Marseille on Monday A protester kicks away a tear gas canister as police moved to disperse the crowds in Paris Demonstrators clash with police near Porte de vincennes during a protest amid ongoing social and political tensions in Paris France has been rocked by widespread anger over the rising cost of living, with nationwide demonstrations on October 17 degenerating into some of the country's worst rioting in years.The demonstrations have come at a critical moment for France, six months ahead of a presidential election to replace centrist Mr Macron.The front-runner - Marine le Pen - held an election rally in Orleans on Sunday, a day after yet more demonstrations also saw some violent clashes on the sidelines. She vowed to 'restore the rule of law' if elected next year. Polls show the protests and ensuing disorder have boosted her support, as the government and Mr Macron faced sharp criticism over the unrest.Authorities have admitted to security and intelligence failures that paved the way for the clashes, large-scale looting and vandalism of public property that erupted on October 17, and had stepped up security for Saturday's protests.While Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the outcome of Saturday's rallies was more 'positive' than a week ago, street violence still erupted in the French capital and a number of other cities including Marseille.The Elysee said Mr Macron would visit the city hall in Marseille, France's second-largest city, on Monday, after it was damaged in the protest violence on October 17.He was also due to meet shopkeepers who had fallen victim to looting and vandalism, the Elysee said. A fire burns in Toulouse as protests against the government turned violent into Saturday evening A protester throws a bottle towards police officers in Toulouse on Saturday Armed police officers held their shields close to their bodies as they confronted protesters in Paris on Saturday A French Republican Security Corps officer confronts a protester on the ground in Marseille on Saturday afternoon Masked gangs of thugs and hard-Left agitators attacked police and set light to cars in the French capital on Saturday night Demonstrators clashed with police near Porte de Vincennes as peaceful protest turned violent on Saturday night'He will also pay tribute to and thank the internal security forces that helped restore republican order,' the presidency said.After this weekend's protests, many shopfronts in the city centre were still boarded up early Monday, just hours before Mr Macron's arrival.Mr Macron's visit was intended to demonstrate that 'the state is present, standing firm and fulfilling its mission to protect,' an aide said.A total of 1,435 people were arrested on the sidelines of the most recent weekend protests, Mr Nunez said on Monday.'The day was brought under control and there were no serious incidents,' he told broadcaster BFMTV.'Nevertheless, we saw a very high level of violence directed at the internal security forces.'Mr Nunez said 267 police officers and gendarmes and 150 protesters were injured, including three who were seriously hurt in Toulouse, Reims and Clermont-Ferrand.The unrest followed weeks of demonstrations by students campaigning for better learning conditions.Several teenage protesters have been seriously injured and thousands arrested.The police response to their demonstrations, which included blockades of schools, has been criticised as heavy-handed and sparked a broader movement against the cost of living and police violence.In Paris on Monday, Mr Lecornu was to meet student leaders, with National Education Minister Edouard Geffray and Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste joining him for the talks. Following that meeting, Mr Geffray and Mr Baptiste will hold a news conference.Mr Macron already met representatives of secondary school pupils last Friday, but they emerged from the talks urging students to keep protesting until the government put forward concrete proposals to address their demands.On top of the protests, the country was last week shaken by a shooting that killed one person and wounded five, including a 12-year-old girl, outside Paris.Mr Macron has branded the shooting a 'racist terrorist attack', as most of the victims were from foreign backgrounds.