In brief
French police have declared overnight curfews in parts of central Paris and other major cities following a week‑long wave of riots and looting that left thousands arrested and significant property damage. The curfews run from 23:00 local to 06:00 in key hotspots such as Place de la République and Les Halles, with other cities like Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Lyon also enacting restrictions on youth movement and gatherings. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admits police “lost control” in several locales, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu pledges emergency funds and legal measures to hold perpetrators accountable. The protests, originally sparked by student demands for better school conditions, have expanded to criticize rising fuel prices and the cost of living, prompting international safety alerts and a crackdown on stolen goods listings by Vinted.
French authorities have imposed overnight curfews in parts of central Paris and other cities after a weekend of riots and looting across the country.
Police in Paris announced a curfew between 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT) and 06:00 in Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping area, where protesters had assembled over the weekend. A ban on unauthorised gatherings was also put in place across several other parts of the city centre.
Partial curfews restricting the movement of young people and gatherings were announced for Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon, Lille and other northern towns.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, criticised for a perceived failure to prepare for the unrest, admitted police had “lost control” in some cities, though he declined to resign after a Sunday attempt.
More than 2,500 people were arrested, officials said, with one demonstrator’s hand blown off by a police crowd‑control grenade, according to the AFP. Roughly 1,000 police officers were reported injured.
The Prime Minister held a crisis meeting and announced that local mayors would be given the power to enforce curfews in places where they were deemed necessary, citing the threat of a broader state of emergency. He also pledged emergency funds to help affected areas recover, to be recovered from those responsible for the violence.
Lecornu warned that a new law would be introduced to require offenders to pay for damaged property and announced a partial unemployment fund for those whose work was disrupted by the riots.
Meanwhile, investigators are analysing 200 CCTV units to identify possible ringleaders, while Vinted has removed listings of stolen goods and stepped up monitoring of suspicious posts.
Over 550,000 demonstrators took to the streets over the weekend, protesting rising fuel prices, the cost of living and deteriorating public services, including schools. Some rioters, wearing masks and balaclavas, set fire to cars and buildings and looted businesses in Paris, Marseille and other cities, as well as smaller towns.
The US Embassy, as well as Chinese and German consulates, issued travel warnings advising citizens to avoid areas heavily affected by the protests. Politicians have accused the left‑wing La France Insoumise party of instigating chaos, a claim the party’s leader Jean‑Luc Mélenchon has denied, demanding proof or apology from the Prime Minister.
