The French government has urged some local authorities to introduce curfews following a weekend of riots and looting that has intensified pressure on officials over security failures.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ruled out imposing a nationwide curfew in Paris on Monday but did not rule out declaring a state of emergency. He said targeted restrictions in specific areas were currently a more appropriate response, although he did not provide further details.
“My determination to restore order is absolute,” Lecornu told reporters.
Ariel Weil, the Socialist mayor of central Paris, said he supported the introduction of a curfew, while authorities in Marseille banned gatherings and demonstrations.
Meanwhile, French trade unions have called for another round of strikes and rallies on November 5.
The unrest followed weeks of student demonstrations and comes six months before France’s next presidential election. The protests have highlighted growing public frustration over the cost of living, a weak economy and rising national debt.
Government Blames Far-Left Groups
Lecornu accused far-left groups of contributing to some of the worst unrest France has experienced in years.
“There is, after all, a far-left movement that wants to cause — we can’t put it any more strongly — profound unrest in the country in the run-up to the presidential election,” he said.
However, hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon challenged the prime minister to provide evidence for the allegation.
“Otherwise, he should apologise, keep quiet and stop fanning the flames of unrest,” Mélenchon wrote on X.
The violence has also caused extensive damage to businesses across the country. The Federation of Trade and Retail said nearly 3,000 shops were affected during the weekend.
“Once again, the retail sector finds itself on the front line, at a time when it is already weakened by a succession of crises,” the organisation said.
“Behind every ransacked shop are business owners, employees and families who have seen years of work and effort wiped out in a matter of hours,” it added, calling for social security and tax relief for affected businesses.
Lecornu said the government would introduce furlough measures from Tuesday to support affected businesses and workers.
Gerard Nouchi, who manages two clothing stores in Marseille, criticised the security response while standing in front of a boarded-up shop.
He said there had not been enough police officers to prevent the looting.
“They trashed everything, broke things, insulted us,” Nouchi said. “It was like a real tornado.”
The government has also directed online platforms selling looted goods to remove related listings and cooperate with efforts to prosecute people reselling stolen items. Junior Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff announced the move on X.
According to the Interior Ministry, about 2,400 people were arrested during the unrest. One protester died from a cardiac arrest on Saturday, while nearly 1,000 police officers were injured.
Macron Rejects Interior Minister’s Resignation Offer
The unrest has increased pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s government, particularly over concerns about whether authorities were adequately prepared to prevent the violence.
Macron’s office said on Monday that he had rejected an offer from Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to resign. Instead, the president instructed him to end the barricades and looting and address what Macron described as failures in intelligence gathering and anticipation.
Nunez told reporters that Tuesday evening’s Champions League football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona would proceed as scheduled.
The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon also expressed concern about the scale of the violence in a joint opinion article published by Libération.
Although they said their cities were accustomed to demonstrations and protests, they described the weekend’s events as particularly alarming.
“But on Saturday … for the first time, we had the feeling that whole sections of our cities had been left without protection,” the mayors wrote.
The start of school holidays on Monday could ease some of the pressure, but students continued to organise gatherings and blockades at locations including the Louvre gallery and Sciences Po university in central Paris.
Luxury Stores and Public Buildings Damaged
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets over the weekend to protest against what many described as deteriorating and dysfunctional public services.
In Paris, luxury shops and hotels around Place Vendôme remained largely closed on Monday, with security guards stationed outside many businesses.
The entrance to a Dior boutique was smashed, while windows at other luxury brand stores, including Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Gucci, were damaged.
In Marseille, French football club Olympique de Marseille said its official store along the city’s historic main avenue had been looted. A town hall in central France was also set on fire.
Nunez said France deployed 60,000 police officers and other security personnel on Saturday. However, he acknowledged that the numbers were insufficient to control the violent crowds.
The unrest has also affected financial markets, with French assets underperforming broader European markets on Monday. The political uncertainty comes as the government faces the challenge of passing a budget bill aimed at bringing public finances under control.
Cost-of-living concerns have also fuelled protests in other European countries, including Italy, Belgium and Albania.
Several European governments have advised their citizens travelling to France to avoid large crowds and remain cautious.
As French authorities worked to clean up damaged streets and restore order, Macron arrived in Kuwait for a Gulf visit aimed at securing additional petrol and diesel supplies to help reduce fuel prices.
