French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez is due to appear before a National Assembly inquiry on Tuesday, November 3, at 4:30 p.m. The hearing is the commission’s first and is set to examine violence and looting during and after a mobilization on October 17 and the following day.
Lawmakers will scrutinize how public authorities prepare for such events, what intelligence and resources they have, and how information is shared with mayors by local prefectures. The inquiry will also consider possible foreign interference, the influence of social media, the organization of those involved in the violence, crowd-control measures and the adequacy of the criminal justice response. The government has acknowledged failures in anticipating the scale of the October 17 mobilization.
Nuñez’s appearance comes amid disputes over the inquiry’s organization. The National Rally said it would boycott the proceedings after it did not receive a rapporteur position, while Agnès Firmin Le Bodo stepped back, arguing that the circumstances had undermined the commission’s credibility. Some left-wing lawmakers had wanted the minister questioned later, so they could draw on evidence from other hearings.
The minister was also questioned by the Assembly’s Law Commission on Monday about the state budget. He said he would not rule out the use of intermediate equipment, including grenades and tear gas, arguing that police need means to defend themselves when attacked. He also said he would not suspend tear-gas use as a precaution, citing studies conducted in 2021 and 2022 that, he said, found no lasting effects.
Nuñez had offered his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, who refused it. In Monday’s hearing, he rejected the claim that police action amounted to repression and said his role was to prevent public-order disturbances. He said he intervenes when violence occurs, including when people damage shop windows or attack police with Molotov cocktails.
Sources: Le Monde Politique.