The Albany Gazette - France's Macron accuses social media of sowing discord ahead of election

At the same time the outgoing French president sought to project an image of a government firmly in control, calling for the looting and vandalism seen on October 17 to "never" happen again.

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 six months ahead of a presidential election to replace centrist Macron.

The frontrunner -- far-right leader 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 - though nothing like a week prior.

Polls show the protests and ensuing disorder have boosted support for Le Pen, as the government and Macron faced sharp criticism for not preventing the unrest.

- 'Turned things around' -

Macron on Monday visited Marseille City Hall, which was briefly overrun by protesters on October 17 and where a bust of Marianne, France's national symbol, was knocked to the ground.

Speaking to members of law enforcement, he said it was "not normal" for France to be in such a state of "turmoil."

"We will continue to hold the line," he said.

"If we all do our jobs well, this movement will subside -- because we will address legitimate expectations, and because order will be maintained. But nothing is a foregone conclusion."

He also called social media sites a "tool for mobilising the worst impulses," adding they harmed "our democracies."

Macron warned that a new wave of protests planned for this weekend could turn "risky", adding that protest routes would remain outside city centres to protect public order.

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 the protests last Saturday.

Officials pledged to remain vigilant ahead of the new demonstrations.

"From a security standpoint, we've largely turned things around," said a Macron aide.

- Halloween protests -

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said "a little over a dozen" curfews imposed by local authorities would remain in place and pledged "an extremely robust security operation" for protests next Saturday.

"We expect things to be difficult again," he said. "Halloween night is traditionally always lively."

While Nunez said the outcome of Saturday's rallies was more "positive" than a week ago, violence still erupted in the capital and a number of other cities including Marseille.

A total of 1,435 people were arrested on the sidelines of the weekend protests, Nunez said, adding there were "no serious incidents."

He said that 267 police officers and gendarmes were injured, along with 150 protesters, including three who were seriously hurt.

The unrest followed weeks of demonstrations by students campaigning for better learning conditions.

The police response has been criticised as heavy-handed and sparked a broader movement against the cost of living and police violence.

Several teenage protesters have been seriously injured and thousands arrested.

In Paris on Monday, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu was to meet student leaders, with National Education Minister Edouard Geffray and Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste joining him for the talks.

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.

Macron has branded the shooting a "racist terrorist attack", as most of the victims were from foreign backgrounds.

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(B.Smith--TAG)