Payan says he had to call the president, prime minister and interior minister for police reinforcements
Benoît PayanMayor of Marseille
At a press conference after protesters forced their way into Marseille city hall, Payan said he had to telephone the president, the prime minister and the interior minister to ask for reinforcements.
“I had to call the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior, and get them on the phone, to ask them for reinforcements (Translated from French. Original: Il a fallu que j'appelle le président de la République, le Premier ministre et le ministre de l'Intérieur, que je les ai au téléphone pour leur demander des renforts)”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Macron refuses Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez's resignation after riots and looting during France's October 17 protests
A national day of protest against the cost of living on October 17, 2026 was accompanied by violence and looting in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other French cities. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the first attacks were carried out by several thousand ultra-left individuals who were later joined by looters, reported more than 2,000 arrests and more than 600 injured police officers, gendarmes and firefighters, and gave his full support to the security forces. Politicians from La France insoumise, the Greens and the Rassemblement national called for him to resign, some faulting the government's preparation and policing doctrine and others its failure to contain the violence. In Marseille, where protesters briefly forced their way into city hall, Mayor Benoît Payan said he had to telephone the president, the prime minister and the interior minister to ask for reinforcements. Nuñez offered his resignation on October 18. The Elysee said President Emmanuel Macron kept him in office, citing the need for continuous command of the security forces, and Macron asked him to deploy a new policing doctrine against rioters.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Report published on the evening of October 17, 2026 on the press statements of Marseille mayor Benoît Payan and Bouches-du-Rhône prefect Jacques Witkovski after protesters forced their way into Marseille city hall and shops were looted.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The report says several dozen people forced the doors of Marseille city hall on the Vieux-Port and that Payan demanded accountability at a press conference shortly afterward, saying he wanted to know why people had been able to smash things in the city with impunity.
After the quotation
The report says Payan denounced what he saw as a lack of police deployed in advance, saying that in the morning there was one company of riot police for Marseille, the second city of France. The prefect said he had committed five units from the morning and attributed the violence to 7,000 to 8,000 looters and rioters.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez's preparation and policing of the October 17, 2026 protests in France. Payan complains that he had to call the country's top three officials to obtain reinforcements, and the report says he denounced what he saw as a lack of police deployed in advance. Faulting the deployment is a criticism of how the day was policed, so we labeled it as condemning.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Laurent Nuñez
More from this case
Read the full caseCoquerel calls Nuñez's handling of public order disastrous and says he must go
“To the incompetence, the lack of foresight and a disastrous handling of public order, which had the effect of breaking up the central march into several processions around Republique, the minister therefore adds manipulation. If we want to hope that the next protests go as well as possible, yes, the precondition is his departure and a change of doctrine. (Translated from French. Original: A l'incompétence, l'imprévoyance et une gestion calamiteuse du maintien de l'ordre qui a eu pour effet d'éclater la manifestation centrale en plusieurs cortèges autour de République, le ministre rajoute donc la manipulation. Si on veut espérer que les prochaines manifestations se déroulent le mieux possibles, oui le préalable est son départ et un changement de doctrine.)”Read statement
Aubry says Nuñez's resignation offer acknowledges a policing fiasco
“By offering his resignation, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledges his failure in the policing fiasco of #17Octobre. Emmanuel Macron's answer? Keep him in his post! (Translated from French. Original: En proposant sa démission, le ministre de l'intérieur Laurent Nuñez reconnaît son échec dans le fiasco du maintien de l'ordre du #17Octobre. La réponse d'Emmanuel Macron ? Le maintenir à son poste !)”Read statement
Nuñez backs the security forces and blames ultra-left individuals for the first attacks
“I warmly thank and give my full support to the police officers, gendarmes and firefighters who, all over France, intervened in extreme conditions. From midday, and in Marseille from the morning, abuses were committed by several thousand ultra-left individuals determined to attack our public buildings and to confront our security forces. (Translated from French. Original: je remercie vivement et j'apporte mon total soutien aux policiers, aux gendarmes et aux sapeurs pompiers qui, partout en France, sont intervenus dans des conditions extrêmes. Dès la mi-journée, à Marseille dès le matin, des exactions étaient commises par plusieurs milliers d'individus d'ultra gauche décidés à s'en prendre à nos bâtiments publics et à prendre à partie nos forces de l'ordre.)”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Payan says he had to call the president, prime minister and interior minister for police reinforcements
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/6398-at-a-press-conference-after-protesters-forced-their
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Payan says he had to call the president, prime minister and interior minister for police reinforcements". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6398-at-a-press-conference-after-protesters-forced-their