The key facts

  • Around 2,400 arrests, hundreds of injured police officers, gendarmes and firefighters
  • Nearly 200 investigators of the Paris police prefecture are analysing camera footage and social media
  • Lecornu ordered regional authorities to impose local partial curfews from Monday

Massive operation after weekend riots

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced on Monday a 'massive' law enforcement operation after widespread riots and looting across the country over the weekend. Protests over the rising cost of living turned violent on Saturday: in several cities demonstrators clashed with police, buildings and cars burned, and masked people smashed shop windows and looted stores. On Sunday the riots continued in Paris, where masked young people erected barricades while police dispersed crowds and used tear gas, an Euronews correspondent on the scene reported.

Statements by the authorities

'We have made several decisions. The first is a particularly significant and large-scale response from the criminal justice system,' Lecornu told journalists. He added that a second wave of legal action would be more methodical, noting that in footage circulating on social media many suspected looters did not hide their faces. 'So, today a very significant, massive law enforcement operation begins,' he said.

Investigation and curfew

According to Lecornu, nearly 200 investigators from the Paris police prefecture will analyse images and footage from the weekend to identify suspects in the Paris region alone. The Paris police prefect said a special unit is being created to examine all available footage from CCTV cameras, shop cameras and social media. Lecornu also instructed regional authorities to impose 'localized and partial curfews' from Monday evening to prevent new riots.

Scale of the consequences and reaction

According to the authorities, hundreds of police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured during the riots, and around 2,400 people were arrested. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that the police in some cities 'lost control'. President Emmanuel Macron warned in a televised address on Sunday evening that those responsible for the destruction 'must pay': 'Those who looted must compensate for the damage; those who tried to overthrow the Republic will be held accountable.'

A car burns at Republique square during a protest against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.
A car burns at Republique square during a protest against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved