France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the response to the October 17 demonstrations as “a failure” during a hearing before a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday, November 3. He attributed the outcome to the involvement of far-left groups, unauthorized marches and a large number of rioters, which he said disrupted the police operation.
Nuñez also addressed criticism over a lack of preparation. He said the main failure to anticipate the mobilization concerned the risks occurring at the same time: intelligence services had identified the risks, but incidents unfolded simultaneously and in different locations across numerous French cities.
Sources: Le Monde.