France asks local authorities to impose partial curfews after weekend unrest
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu requested localised measures for some cities on 19 October after protests turned violent. The cities and curfew hours were not specified.
France asked local authorities to impose curfews in some cities on Monday, 19 October, after weekend protests turned violent, NBC News reported. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the planned restrictions as partial and localised, according to France 24, which said they were intended to protect businesses.
Lecornu made the request after a government crisis meeting, NBC News reported. It was not immediately clear which cities had been asked to act, what hours any curfews would cover or whether local authorities had put them in place. The request leaves those decisions central to how residents and businesses will be affected.
Violence followed protests over schools and living costs
The unrest followed days of largely peaceful anti-government protests over rising living costs and poor school conditions, according to NBC News. High school students had begun demonstrating last month, calling attention to deteriorating school buildings and insufficient teaching capacity. Riot police used tear gas against protesters, the network reported.
Over the weekend, masked rioters looted shops and set vehicles and government buildings on fire as they confronted police in cities across France, NBC News reported. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said city halls in Marseille, Lille and Angers had been broken into. He said the arrests had little to do with the student protests, distinguishing the violence from the students' original demands.
More than half a million people took part in the protests, nearly 2,400 were arrested and almost 1,000 police officers and firefighters were injured, according to interior ministry figures cited by NBC News. Those nationwide figures describe the scale of the weekend unrest; they do not identify where curfews will apply.
Businesses face the effects of looting
Marseille imposed a ban on public gatherings for most of Monday, NBC News reported. That measure is separate from Lecornu's request for local curfews. In Paris, the Louvre Museum said it had closed after protesters announced a blockade, while police faced demonstrators at Place de la République on Sunday.
Representatives of France's business community were meeting with the government after widespread weekend looting, France 24 reported. Its business coverage also said the tourism sector feared a fall in winter holiday bookings. Those concerns help explain the government's stated aim of protecting businesses, though the immediate curfew proposal remains limited to some cities.
President Emmanuel Macron stopped short of declaring an emergency, despite calls from some right-wing politicians, NBC News reported. Nuñez offered to resign over the crisis, but Macron rejected the offer. Lecornu's request instead asks local authorities to decide on partial restrictions as the government responds to the unrest.
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Sources and context
- France moves to impose curfews as it reels from worst violence in yearsNBC News
- Business - French retailers reel after weekend of riots, lootingFrance 24
- Live: French PM Lecornu calls for 'partial curfews' in cities hit by riots and lootingFrance 24
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.