Paris Imposes Curfew and Protest Ban After Violent Weekend

Paris (GNP): French authorities imposed a partial curfew and banned demonstrations in parts of the capital on Monday, as the government tried to restore order after some of the worst street violence the country has seen in years.

The Paris police prefecture said the curfew would run from 11 pm on Monday until 6 am on Tuesday in several neighbourhoods. Demonstrations were also banned in some districts from 8 pm, with officials naming areas around Place de la République and Les Halles.

The measures followed a request from Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who asked regional authorities to introduce partial curfews in cities affected by two days of violent unrest. Lyon restricted gatherings on public roads and placed parts of the city under curfew overnight, while Marseille banned all gatherings and demonstrations from midday until 8 pm.

Other cities chose to focus on young people. Curfews for minors were announced in downtown Nice and in several towns in the Nord department, including Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain.

The restrictions came after a weekend of clashes in which official figures put arrests at around 2,400 and injuries among law enforcement officers at nearly 1,000. Reports also confirmed at least two deaths. Police used tear gas against crowds, shops were looted, and fires damaged historic buildings, including the town hall in Limoges.

Most protesters were peaceful, and more than half a million people marched across the country on Saturday. However, the violence that followed after nightfall shifted the national conversation from the protesters’ demands to the government’s handling of the crisis.

That pressure reached the top of government when Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation. He acknowledged a loss of control by police in some cities and a lack of anticipation in deploying available security forces. President Emmanuel Macron rejected the resignation, citing the need for continuity in the command of security forces, and called for greater transparency over failures in anticipation and intelligence.

Local leaders have not been satisfied. The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Limoges have criticised the government’s response, even as Nuñez prepares to visit Marseille, one of the cities hit hardest by the violence.

The unrest has its roots in a high school protest that began in mid-September, when students and teachers in a Paris suburb demanded more staff and resources. The movement grew into a wider demonstration over the cost of living, with the Yellow Vest movement now calling for a fresh round of protests on Saturday.

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Monday brought another sign of the movement’s reach. Students blocked access to the Louvre Museum in Paris in support of the high school protests and to denounce police repression, delaying its usual 9 am opening. Museum management said the demonstration had no direct connection to the Louvre, which it described as being used as an echo chamber.

Macron has said he will hold meetings this week to hear protesters’ demands, but pressure is building elsewhere in Europe too. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, said the anger of peaceful protesters deserves an answer. Meanwhile, with a presidential election due in about six months, the way the government handles the coming days is likely to shape the political debate.

Nuñez said, “I am responsible for everything that happens on the ground.”