PARIS – The French government imposed partial curfews in several major cities after protests over rising living costs turned violent over the weekend, with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez publicly acknowledging that security forces had failed to contain the unrest.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has instructed local authorities to issue curfew orders to protect businesses and private property. In Paris, a police curfew is in force from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. around the Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping district, and gatherings and protests are banned from 8 p.m. Curfews are also being strictly enforced in Lyon, Nice, Colombes and Lille.
More than 500,000 people took part in Saturday’s nationwide demonstrations, which began as protests by students and other citizens over rising prices of essential goods. Masked groups later attacked government offices, police stations and shopping centres, set fires and looted shops.
Police have detained more than 2,300 people, and nearly 1,000 police officers and gendarmes were injured. Around 60,000 security personnel were deployed, yet hundreds of shops were looted, leaving traders deeply distressed.
Nuñez offered to resign, but President Emmanuel Macron declined to accept it. Macron called for a transparent inquiry into intelligence failures and planning shortcomings, asked that the police chain of command be preserved, and directed officials to develop new strategies against looting and attacks. Officials said the government would not rule out declaring a state of emergency if necessary.
The movement began with students protesting overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and inadequate education funding. The situation deteriorated after Yellow Vest activists joined the protests.
With presidential elections due within six months, the unrest, economic strain and high national debt pose a growing challenge for Macron’s government. Although the situation appears to have calmed, the Yellow Vest movement has called for fresh large-scale protests this coming Saturday.