The French government has imposed limited curfews in several cities,\nincluding Paris, Lille and Nice, after riots and looting swept parts of\nthe country over the weekend. The measures are intended to restore\npublic order after demonstrations prompted by concerns over the cost of\nliving and education turned violent.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister S\u00e9bastien Lecornu said the government would introduce\nlocalised and limited restrictions according to the security threat in\neach area. The government has no current plans to impose a nationwide\ncurfew across all cities.<\/p>\n
According to The Guardian on Monday (19 October 2026), Paris police\nbanned gatherings and demonstrations in several areas from 20:00 local\ntime. A curfew was also imposed from 23:00 to 06:00 around Place de la\nR\u00e9publique and the Les Halles shopping district.<\/p>\n
In several northern French cities, including Lille, Douai, Wattignies\nand Denain, a curfew for minors was imposed from 20:00 to 06:00 for two\nnights. Similar restrictions were also introduced in areas including\nNice and Lyon.<\/p>\n
Lecornu stressed that the government was determined to restore\nsecurity after the riots damaged public buildings and businesses. He\nsaid the government would take measures as conditions on the ground\nrequired, while the possibility of declaring a state of emergency\nremained open if the situation deteriorated.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy determination to restore public order is unwavering,\u201d Lecornu\nsaid after an emergency government meeting, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n
Police lose control<\/strong><\/p>\n The curfews were imposed after Interior Minister Laurent Nu\u00f1ez\nacknowledged that police had lost control in several cities as\ndemonstrations descended into riots.<\/p>\n Nu\u00f1ez said the authorities had not adequately prepared for the scale\nof the demonstrations or the organised groups of rioters. He\nacknowledged shortcomings in anticipating developments, including in the\ndeployment of personnel and the gathering of intelligence.<\/p>\n The government had initially expected around 200,000 people to take\npart in the demonstrations. However, more than 500,000 people were\nreported to have participated across France.<\/p>\n Around 60,000 police officers and security personnel were deployed to\nmanage the protests. Even so, the number was considered insufficient to\ncontain the violence in several major cities, including Paris, Marseille\nand Lyon.<\/p>\n Nu\u00f1ez said the extent of the damage made him feel responsible. He\neven offered his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron.<\/p>\n Macron rejected the offer, citing the need to maintain continuity in\nsecurity leadership while the situation remained unsettled.<\/p>\n Instead, Macron asked Nu\u00f1ez to ensure transparency about planning and\nintelligence failures that contributed to the riots. The president also\nordered the introduction of new operational methods to prevent looting\nand control groups of rioters.<\/p>",
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