Macron Says French Army Not Involved in Domestic Public Order

(Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron said the French army isn’t involved in maintaining domestic public order, and that the decision to use soldiers to guard public monuments during planned protests Saturday is simply to free up regular police forces.

“This is a false polemic people are trying to raise,” Macron said at a press conference in Brussels, where he’s attending a European Union summit.

Faced with renewed violence during last Saturday’s Yellow Vests protests, the government Wednesday announced new measures including using military units usually used for anti-terrorist patrols to protect public buildings. Some opposition parties had accused Macron of endangering the lives of protesters.

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