French authorities have imposed localized curfews, including in some areas of Paris, as France reels from the worst violence in years.
The move comes as protests over education and living costs escalated into a wave of deadly violence across the country over the weekend, sparking a blame game at home and threatening to spill over into neighboring Europe.
The tense mood in the country continued on Monday, with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecorne urging some cities to impose a “partial curfew” to protect people, property and businesses.
CNN affiliate BFMTV reported that Paris’ Place de la République will be closed from 11pm on Monday (5pm ET) to 6am on Tuesday, and the streets around Les Halles will also be closed from 10pm on Monday to 6am on Tuesday. In Lyon, public gatherings will be banned from 6pm to 9pm on Monday, followed by a curfew in parts of the city from 9pm on Monday to 6am on Tuesday. Meanwhile, in Marseille, authorities banned all gatherings and demonstrations between noon and 8pm local time.
The curfew for minors will be enforced on the streets of downtown Nice and in several towns and cities in the country’s northern department from 9pm Monday (6pm ET) to 6am Tuesday, the mayor said. The curfew applies to Lille, Douai, Watigny and Denant and will be in effect from 8pm local time on Monday to 6am on Tuesday, BFMTV reported, citing the Prime Minister’s Office.
The measures were introduced after more than 2,000 people were arrested over the weekend and at least two people were reported dead and seriously injured, including two who lost both hands.
During the protests, police fired tear gas into crowds, engaged in fierce battles with black-clad and hooded rioters who set fires and invaded stores and government buildings, with footage showing historic buildings ablaze.
Accusations are mounting that the government has failed to adequately predict the scale of the crisis, as France begins to count the costs with elections to replace President Emmanuel Macron six months away.
Although authorities and political leaders stress that the vast majority of demonstrators are participating peacefully, the worst levels of fighting and destruction in years have shaken the country and prompted forced condemnation from both leaders and the population.
“Those who destroyed must pay the price,” President Macron said Sunday night. “Those who plundered must pay back. Those who tried to destroy the Republic will be held accountable.”
He also promised to meet this week to discuss “concrete proposals” and listen to protesters’ demands. But it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to stem the protests in France, and similar demonstrations against the cost of living currently unfolding in neighboring countries.
It began in September with a strike by students and teachers at a high school on the outskirts of Paris demanding more staff and resources. Their demands were met and the strike ended, but it soon sparked across the country.
Long dissatisfied with an understaffed and overcrowded education system, students across the country began protests that sometimes turned violent. The heavy-handed police response, especially after a video showing a police officer using a banned headlock on a young girl, fueled public outrage and sent hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets.
Within weeks, the protests expanded into a broader movement beyond students, capturing widespread dissatisfaction with affordability, perceived government inaction, widening wealth disparities, and a deep desire for social and political change.
“This cannot continue,” Maria Paras, 57, a member of France’s main trade union, said in an interview with CNN at a protest in Paris on Saturday. “There’s the cost of living, there’s unemployment, there’s all kinds of things. A young man will go look for a job, we’ll promise him a lot, but in the end he’ll end up with nothing.”
More than 500,000 people demonstrated across France on Saturday. For the most part, things were peaceful. Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon described the crowds in Paris as “moving quietly”.
However, protests turned violent in some places, especially at night. In Paris, groups of masked youths looted stores and set them on fire. In Lyon, demonstrators set fire to the city’s tourist office. In the central city of Limoges, the spire of the 143-year-old town hall burst into flames and collapsed, bringing back painful memories of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire. Hundreds of businesses were destroyed across the Ile-de-France region, including Paris, local business representatives told BFMTV.
The protests subsided somewhat on Sunday, but small pockets flared up and police fired tear gas into the hallowed Place de la République, one of Paris’s largest public squares.
One tourist who visited Paris told Reuters that by the end of the weekend, the city looked like a “war zone”. Residents across the capital were stunned, with some blaming the looters and rioters, while others blamed authorities for failing to address the crisis sooner.
“It’s heartbreaking, heartbreaking to see our city in this situation,” said Farida, 59, from Marseille, who declined to give her last name, according to Reuters. “If every protest ends with all the store windows being smashed and stores being trashed, this simply cannot continue. It cannot continue.”
Paola Formenti, 56, from Paris, condemned the violence but expressed support for the “justified” anger of the demonstrators.
In a speech on Sunday, President Macron acknowledged the protesters’ grievances and said there would be “many international efforts” to tackle fuel prices and ensure stable supplies from Gulf countries. He did not provide specific guarantees or further details.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez also acknowledged that authorities had failed to predict the scale of the riots and offered to resign, but President Macron refused to accept.
What will happen next and how will it spread?
The protests and their fallout could determine next spring’s French general elections. Marine Le Pen, whose far-right party leads in the polls, claimed over the weekend that “legitimate social grievances have once again been taken hostage by the far left.” Her far-left rival, Mélenchon, has repeatedly defended students’ right to protest.
Protesters also took to the streets in other parts of Europe this weekend.
Council of Europe Secretary-General Alain Berset said the anger of peaceful protesters deserved to be answered and warned against becoming a political tool amid the violence.
“From Paris to Milan, Brussels to Tirana, Europe’s protests are spreading rapidly. Inequality, education, housing. There is no perspective. There is a feeling of not being heard,” he posted on X.
In Belgium, students demonstrated against the current state of the education system. Tens of thousands of people marched in Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday to protest the rising cost of living and the country’s housing crisis.
In Italy, riots broke out in Milan for two consecutive nights this weekend. Demonstrators threw stones and looted supermarkets, but police responded with tear gas and water cannon, and arrested 32 people. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said shops in the city remained closed on Monday and the government would respond “firmly” to the violence. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini announced that 500 military personnel would be sent to Milan.
Meanwhile, in Albania, students have been taking to the streets for months to protest what they see as government corruption. Demonstrations in the capital Tirana turned violent this weekend, with one person photographed throwing a petrol bomb at riot police.
Authorities in many of these countries have condemned the violence and called for peace. The protests have attracted the attention of the White House, where Vice President J.D. Vance posted a video of Limoges City Hall on fire and blamed the unrest on failed immigration policies.
President Donald Trump also referenced the protests at a rally in Georgia this weekend, joking, “Let’s go to France and join the revolution and spend $5,000 there,” referring to the promised dividends if Republicans win the midterm elections.
