France Imposes a Curfew as Riots Rage

France has announced a curfew in several cities following the riots that have rocked the country.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he had asked regional authorities to impose ‘partial’ and ‘local’ curfews in several cities to protect businesses, as reported by Al Jazeera on Monday (19 October).

On Monday evening, curfews were announced in various cities and municipalities.

Authorities in France issued a curfew order for the Place de la République in Paris and the streets surrounding the Les Halles shopping district, effective from 23:00 local time on Monday evening until 06:00 on Tuesday.

Whilst the curfew was in force, gatherings and demonstrations were banned throughout the city from 8.00 pm.

Similar curfews, some of which applied only to minors, were also announced for Monday evening in Lyon, Nice and Coulaines.

Unrest broke out in several regions of France following student demonstrations demanding reforms to the education system. The demonstrations lasted for several days and were peaceful. However, the police responded with arrests and tear gas.

The demonstrations continued for three weeks until, on Friday, a call to take to the streets emerged. Then, on Saturday, large numbers of people took to the streets in peaceful protest. The demands of the protests were no longer limited to education but had expanded to include the cost of living and the economy.

As the demonstrations gradually subsided, certain groups began setting fires in the streets, burning vehicles, looting and damaging public property.

The Trade and Retail Federation stated that nearly 3,000 shops had been affected, whilst officials reported widespread vandalism and looting in Paris, Marseille and other cities.