France Imposes Curfews in Several Cities After Rioting and Looting
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced curfews in Lille and three other northern cities after weekend cost-of-living protests turned into riots. The government has not ruled out declaring a state of emergency.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced on Monday that curfews will be introduced in several cities. The measure responds to rioting and looting that accompanied protests against the rising cost of living over the weekend. Lecornu did not rule out declaring a state of emergency "if necessary".
Curfew in the north
Lecornu said he had instructed prefects, the top state representatives in the country's departments, to take this step, chiefly to protect shops from looting. His office specified that a partial curfew will apply on the nights of Monday to Tuesday and Tuesday to Wednesday in Lille and three other northern cities. It will run from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Scale of the damage
The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates that more than 2,000 shops across the country may have been affected. Its head, Alain Di Crescenzo, told broadcaster RTL that about 1,500 such cases had been recorded by the evening of 18 October. Trade Minister Serge Papin cited an even higher figure on Monday, at least 3,000. The damage runs to hundreds of millions of euros.
What happened over the weekend
The protests against the cost of living turned violent. Shops were looted and buildings and cars were set on fire. The most militant demonstrators attacked police, who used tear gas. According to the Interior Ministry, 997 police officers and other security personnel were injured. Across France, 2,331 people were detained over the weekend.
Government's assessment and upcoming protests
Lecornu repeated a claim made earlier by President Emmanuel Macron that the unrest is "organised chaos" for which "left-wing extremists and criminals" are responsible. The prime minister said there is evidence of an ultra-left movement trying to sow chaos ahead of the presidential election.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police will be on heightened alert during the next weekend, 24 and 25 October. The "Yellow Vests" movement has called on the French to take to the streets again on 24 October to protest against the cost of living.
