France imposes overnight curfews after riots: more than 2,500 arrested, damage in the hundreds of millions of euros

The key facts

Curfew in Paris from 23:00 to 06:00 on Place de la République and near Les Halles; partial restrictions in Marseille, Nice, Lyon, Lille
More than 2,500 arrested, around 1,000 police officers injured, damage of 'hundreds of millions of euros' according to the CCI estimate
Minister Nuñez tried to resign after speaking of a 'loss of control'; Macron refused, demanding transparency over 'intelligence and anticipation failures'

Curfew and restrictions in cities

French authorities have imposed overnight curfews in parts of Paris and other cities after a weekend of riots and looting across the country. The Paris police said the curfew would run from 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT) until 06:00 on Place de la République, where protesters gathered over the weekend, and in the Les Halles shopping district. The ban on unauthorised gatherings extends to several other parts of the city centre. Partial restrictions — on the movement of young people and on gatherings — have been introduced in Marseille, Nice and Lyon in the south, as well as in Lille and other cities in the north. After a crisis meeting on Monday, the prime minister said mayors had been given the right to impose curfews 'where needed', without specifying which cities would be affected.

Scale of the riots and casualties

The riots began last month with student protests demanding better conditions in schools, but then grew into a broader set of demands. According to the authorities, more than 2,500 people have been arrested and around 1,000 police officers injured. According to the AFP news agency, one demonstrator had a hand torn off by a police crowd-control grenade. Over the weekend, about 550,000 demonstrators took to the streets, protesting against rising fuel prices, the cost of living and the degradation of public services, including schools. Groups of rioters, some dressed in black and wearing masks and balaclavas, set fire to cars and buildings and looted shops in Paris, Marseille and other cities. In Limoges, the ornate 19th-century town hall was destroyed by a fire started by rioters on Saturday: the clock tower and roof collapsed.

Government response

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted that the police had 'lost control' in some cities. On Sunday he tried to resign, but President Emmanuel Macron refused to accept it 'given the need to continue leading the law enforcement agencies', the Élysée Palace said. The statement said Nuñez must be transparent about what Macron called 'intelligence and anticipation failures'. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu did not rule out introducing a state of emergency, and promised to allocate funds to restore the affected areas — with subsequent recovery of costs from those responsible for the riots: 'A law will be passed to find ways to guarantee that those who damaged property will pay.' A partial unemployment fund has also been announced for those unable to work because of the riots. Nuñez said 200 investigators are analysing CCTV footage to identify possible ringleaders.

Business damage and online looting

According to the head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of France, Alain Di Crescenzo, the riots directly affected more than 2,000 shops and other businesses, with damage estimated at 'hundreds of millions of euros' (in an interview with RTL). The president of the Marseille chamber, Jean-Luc Chauvin, told the BBC that many shop owners in the city were in 'deep distress' and feared for their survival. Two French ministers said looted goods were being listed on some trading platforms. A Vinted spokesperson said the sale or offering of stolen goods is 'strictly prohibited': since the weekend the platform's teams have been removing listings linked to looting and have stepped up monitoring of suspicious listings.

Embassy warnings and political accusations

The US Embassy in France issued a warning advising citizens to avoid areas affected by the demonstrations and to 'exercise caution' near large crowds. Similar warnings were issued by China and Germany. Some politicians accused the left-wing party La France Insoumise (Unbowed France) of involvement in the violence: Lecornu, at an earlier press conference, said some groups 'want to create chaos in our country up to the presidential election'. The party's leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who will run in next year's presidential election, responded by calling on the prime minister to 'prove his accusation' or else 'apologise, shut up and stop stirring up unrest'.