Recommended
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he had ordered prefects to impose "very limited" and "localized" curfews in cities to prevent further riots and looting, following weekend violence that specifically targeted town halls, other public buildings, and thousands of businesses across the country.
Speaking after an emergency meeting with senior government officials, Lecornu said that "despite scenes of serious violence and extensive property damage, no one died, and that is a miracle," and defended the work of police officers in the face of violent groups of people.
Lecornu said details on the areas where the curfew will be imposed will be provided later on Monday following consultations with mayors.
Mass protests in France are often marred by violence on the fringes of otherwise peaceful marches, leading to clashes with police. Saturday's riots were reminiscent of those that followed the fatal police shooting of a teenager in 2023, when authorities imposed local curfews, and the violence during the Yellow Vest movement that began in 2018 over fuel prices and broader economic grievances.
Macron rejects the resignation of the Interior Minister
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation on Sunday, but President Emmanuel Macron asked him to stay "given the need to maintain command of law enforcement in the current context," the president's office reported in a statement on Monday.
Macron's office indicated that he ordered Nuñez to "take all necessary measures to ensure full transparency regarding the planning and intelligence-gathering failures that led to the violence," according to the statement.
Macron also called for the introduction of "new police tactics on the ground as soon as possible" to end the violent incidents.
Groups of people set fire to trash cans, bicycles, and other objects in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and other cities on Sunday night, one day after major violence erupted on Saturday during nationwide protests against the rising cost of living and poor conditions in schools. At least 2,400 people were arrested across the country.
Authorities estimated on Monday that at least 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted in various cities.
In Marseille, the prefect banned any protests or gatherings from noon until 8 p.m. on Monday.
"I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that is happening," Nuñez stated in remarks to France Inter radio. "Now, the real issue is to ensure that this does not happen again. ... Obviously, we have to be better at anticipating the type of mobilization that is unfolding," he affirmed.
The minister attributed the violence to "hordes of rioters and looters" and "far-left activists," and acknowledged that police strategy must adapt "in the face of extremely mobile groups." Authorities noted that groups of hundreds of people sought confrontations with the police and attacked public buildings, including town halls and other public offices.
Business owners assess the damage
Nuñez acknowledged that authorities had "lost control" in some large cities on Saturday.
"You cannot look business owners in the eye when hundreds of businesses have been looted and say we haven't lost control in some of these large cities. Obviously," he stated.
Flames engulfed the 19th-century town hall building in Limoges, in central France, causing the roof to collapse and almost destroying the building.
On Monday, cleanup crews and firefighters removed broken glass and other debris from the streets of Paris.
Ouri Zagoury, the owner of a video game store near Paris's Place de la République, said he closed the store Saturday afternoon but later saw looters forcing their way in on surveillance cameras.
"There were so many people coming in and out. And even though I called the police, they said they wouldn't intervene, that they would come, but they never did, which is another problem," Zagoury said.
Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party, pointed to the government's failure to prevent the violence.
"The government has failed, the head of state has failed in his essential duty to protect the French people," he told reporters at the party headquarters.
"I call on the people of France now, beyond their right to protest, to use their voting power," Bardella expressed. He is campaigning alongside far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose poll numbers have suggested for months that she is the favorite in next spring's presidential election.
[Publicidad]