France on the Edge – Lecornu Announces Curfews

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents France on the Edge – Lecornu Announces Curfews.

Over 2000 arrests, more than 600 injured officers, hundreds of looted shops: After the heavy riots over the weekend, France is pulling the emergency brake. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced local curfews to journalists on Monday and instructed the responsible authorities to implement corresponding measures that same evening.

What Lecornu announced – and what he didn't

The message is clear. "These curfews must be local and limited," said the prime minister. He is firmly determined to restore public order. At the same time, he explicitly ruled out a blanket curfew for Paris: "It is not on the table to put all of Paris under a curfew." He initially did not say exactly which cities would be affected. Should the violence escalate further, the government also considers declaring a state of emergency possible – currently, however, partial curfews are the means of choice.

A small all-clear for soccer fans: The Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona on Tuesday evening is to take place as planned.

The weekend in numbers

The official tally after the protests against the high cost of living is harsh. According to the Interior Ministry, more than 2000 people were arrested, over 600 officers were injured. In several French cities, demonstrators and police fought street battles, rioters looted hundreds of shops.

In Paris, police arrested 351 people on Sunday and in the night to Monday, according to Interior Minister Nuñez. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire spoke of "intolerable scenes" and told the broadcaster France Inter: "It didn't reach the level of Saturday, but there were groups of looters who spread across several districts." In Marseille, authorities responded on Monday itself with a temporary ban on gatherings.

Weaknesses acknowledged – Macron stands by Nuñez

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin named weaknesses in the security apparatus with unusual candor on the broadcaster France 2: "Obviously, they are not effectively taking action against the extreme left." The authorities are successful against terrorism, but not against left-wing extremist demonstrators.

Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron rejected an offer of resignation from Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez in order not to break the chain of command. Instead, he instructed Nuñez to develop new concepts against looters. The message behind the decision: No one is stepping down, but everyone has to deliver.

What's in store for France on Saturday – and what you should know now

The protest movement of the Yellow Vests has announced an "Act 2" for Saturday, October 24 – with protests in dozens of locations. It is the same movement that kept France on edge for months between November 2018 and spring 2019, driven by anger over high living costs and social injustice. The local curfews will therefore have to prove themselves within just a few days at a new protest weekend.

Concretely for you: The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin adjusted its travel and safety advisories for France on Monday. If you're planning a trip or have relatives there, that's the page you should keep an eye on right now – concrete times and areas of applicability of the local curfews are expected to be announced only via the local prefectures.