Macron condemns ‘seditious acts’ by ‘ultra-left’ and says he will seek to ban some protests – Europe live | France– www.theguardian.com

Macron begins by acknowledging there were some “shortcomings” in response to last weekend’s protests, with “an element of surprise.” He says the government needs to learn from that and apply it to this weekend’s events.

He says that local authorities have been empowered to adopt local measures, such as bans on gatherings, and the judicial system is “fully mobilised” to respond to events.

The president backs the justice ministry’s call for seeking harsh punishments for those involved in the riots.

He then makes it very clear what he makes of the riots:

“We witness both political and even seditious acts carried out by organised ultra-left groups aiming to bring down the Republic – acts that these groups themselves openly claim, characterised by extreme, intense violence.”