French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Monday that he had ordered regional prefects to impose nighttime curfews in parts of the country, as the government scrambled to prevent a repeat of the weekend's looting and violence, which damaged at least 3,000 shops.
The curfews will be "partial" and "very localized," Lecornu said after an emergency government meeting, and are meant mainly to protect commercial areas hit by looters. "There is no question of putting all of Paris under curfew. That makes no sense," he said, adding that a map of the affected areas would be released after consultations with local mayors.
Lecornu said the government could declare a state of emergency "if necessary," but that targeted curfews appeared better suited to the situation for now.
The measures follow Saturday's nationwide day of protest against the rising cost of living, which drew an estimated 550,000 people and descended into clashes, arson and looting in Paris, Lyon, Limoges and other cities. More than 2,000 people were arrested, and more than 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured, according to the Interior Ministry.
Lecornu also announced what he called a "massive judicial operation that starts today" to track down those responsible, with 200 investigators assigned in Paris alone. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 2,331 people had been taken into custody, two-thirds of them adults. Lecornu put the rate of criminal justice responses at close to 80 percent.
The prime minister blamed the violence largely on the far left, saying "it is demonstrated that we have an ultra-left movement that wants to organize profound disorder in the country until the presidential election." He also announced a dedicated support fund for damaged businesses and full state-funded furlough pay, starting Tuesday, for employees of shops forced to close.
At least one town has already acted on its own. In Denain, a town of about 20,000 in northern France where a group of around 50 people set fires and attacked police on Saturday night, Mayor Anne-Lise Dufour-Tonini imposed a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Sunday, October 25, for adults and minors alike. Local media later reported that the order had been narrowed to unaccompanied minors in certain neighborhoods.
The announcements came a day after President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation, saying the French people felt "anger" and "shame" at the scenes of destruction. He blamed "factious" ultra-left groups joined by "many delinquents," and promised that those who looted would be made to pay. Opposition leaders dismissed the address as empty.
