President Macron has warned of the “fragmentation” of France if his newly reshuffled government fails to learn the lessons of recent riots sparked by the police killing of a teenager of north African origin.
In a televised address on Friday before chairing his first cabinet meeting with the new line-up, Macron said the unrest had laid bare “a risk of fragmentation, of deep division of the nation”.
He urged ministers to “learn the lessons from what happened and provide sound answers”, adding that this would be one of their main tasks after the summer holiday.
France’s worst riots in 18 years erupted at the end of June. Cities across the country suffered nearly a week of violence, looting and vandalism by mainly ethnic minority youths.
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