Gabriel Attal, a presidential candidate from French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance party, said on Monday that troops should help guard administrative buildings after the city hall in Limoges was set on fire during weekend protests.

"Are there still law enforcement officers today who are engaged exclusively in stationary guarding of buildings? If so, they need to be sent to work directly on the ground... If the armed forces can be involved in stationary guarding of state buildings, this should be done," Attal said on RTL radio.

When asked whether he was calling on Macron to send the army "to restore order in the country," that is, to help suppress unrest, Attal answered in the negative.

"No, because the army is not responsible for maintaining public order. I am talking about something else: all police and gendarmerie officers today must be focused on one goal — ensuring the safety of French citizens. And if in some areas they can be temporarily replaced, provided that this is not directly about maintaining public order, then this should be done," Attal explained.

Mass demonstrations over the rising cost of living and falling education standards escalated into clashes with police on Saturday. In the city of Limoges, rioters set fire to the historic city hall building. Administrative buildings in Marseille and other cities were also attacked. Macron refused to accept the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, despite criticism of police work during the protests.

@Sputnik