Macron makes surprise Marseille visit after riots to meet mayor, residents, and police

French President Emmanuel Macron made an unannounced visit to Marseille on Monday, one week after riots there, to meet with the mayor, residents, and police as the government seeks to regain control of the social agenda. Macron is scheduled to speak with Mayor Benoît Payan, who has criticized the state over insufficient police resources deployed on October 17, citing 434 national officers, 240 CRS, and 150 gendarmes. Payan also disputes the prefecture's figure of 30,000 looters, with over 500 stores vandalized. The president will also meet shopkeepers and residents affected by two weekends of violence, who fear weekly barricades, and will speak with security forces alongside Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and other officials.