PHILIPPOT CALLS ON MACRON TO RESIGN AMID UNREST

PARIS, OCTOBER 18 /SRNA – RIA Novosti/ - Florian Philippot, leader of the French Patriots party, called on French President Emmanuel Macron to resign following widespread unrest and clashes during protests.

"To put an end to the chaos, we must remove the traitors from power - Macron must resign. We must restore statehood and reclaim national sovereignty," Philippot wrote on X.

Philippot, who is also a presidential candidate, accused the French authorities of allowing mass illegal immigration into France for decades, which he said had caused numerous problems and a decline in living standards.

Mass protests against rising prices and the declining quality of life of French citizens were held across France. They were accompanied by violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces, unrest and vandalism. Police used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons against the crowds.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said today that the number of people detained during the unrest in France had exceeded 2,000, and that more than 600 members of the security forces and firefighters had been injured.