Overnight curfews in France’s violence-hit cities brought a fragile calm after the nation’s worst unrest in years, the government said on Tuesday, even as it braced for more protests at the weekend.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the targeted curfews, imposed in the worst affected zones of the biggest cities, had helped quiet the streets. “The targeted curfews have contributed to the calm of last night,” he wrote in a post on X, adding that they could be extended further into the week where needed, according to reports.
Streets quiet, for now
In central Paris, police emptied and guarded the Place de la Republique overnight, with a helicopter circling overhead, according to reports. In Lille, in the north, where the curfew applied only to minors, officers patrolled the city centre checking the identities of passers-by.
Marseille’s mayor, Benoit Payan, said curfews for minors would apply around the commercial areas hardest hit by the weekend’s riots, starting on Tuesday night, according to reports.
The crackdown follows a weekend in which high school pupil strikes over falling standards converged with a broader outpouring of anger at rising prices and the sense that health, housing and welfare needs are no longer being met. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said 149 people held at the weekend were in detention awaiting trial, with around 2,500 more remaining in custody for questioning, according to reports.
The anger spreads
The unrest is no longer confined to France. Buoyed by the French protests, crowds have also taken to the streets in Italy and Albania, where similar anger over living conditions has led to clashes, according to reports.
The government is trying to reassure the public that it has learned from security shortcomings that left the centres of cities such as Paris, Marseille and Lyon largely unprotected from rioters and looters who moved in after demonstrations. With more protests planned for the weekend, the curfews may become the new normal, at least for now.
