Latest Update: France in Chaos, Like a War Zone; 9 Cities Impose Curfews

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – France has announced the introduction of a partial curfew in Paris and a number of other cities across the country, effective from Monday local time. This is intended to quell the chaos caused by last weekend’s demonstrations, which escalated from protests over rising prices into street riots and looting.

Quoting AFP on Tuesday (20 October 20206), Prime Minister (PM) Sébastien Lecornu said the government had not ruled out declaring a state of emergency. Moreover, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had previously stated that the police had “lost control”.

“I am fully determined to restore public order,” said Lecornu.

Generally speaking, a partial curfew will be in force from Monday evening until Tuesday morning. The decision was taken to protect businesses.

The following are the eight cities and regions subject to the curfew:

A curfew has been imposed in several areas of Paris. In the capital, the curfew begins at 23:00, whilst demonstrations are banned from 20:00.

These rules cover two areas that were the focus of looting over the weekend: the Place de la République (Republic Square) in the central-eastern part of the capital, and the Châtelet-les-Halles district, which is home to numerous shops.

Lyon, France’s third-largest city, has imposed a curfew in its city centre. Previously, this was the location where a tourist office was set alight during protests on Saturday.

The ban on public gatherings in this area is in force from 9.00 pm on Monday until 6.00 am on Tuesday. A ban on gathering in public places has also been in force in parts of Lyon since 6.00 pm on Monday.

Nice, the largest city on the French Riviera, has imposed a curfew in the city centre from 9.00 pm to 6.00 am, by order of the mayor. However, this curfew applies only to minors who are not accompanied by an adult.

Lille, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in France, as well as the towns of Douai, Wattignies and Denain—all located in northern France—have imposed a curfew. This applies specifically to minors not accompanied by an adult.

The rules apply from 8.00 pm on Monday until 6.00 am on Tuesday. However, the rules do not apply to all areas but only to specific zones.

Coulaines, a village on the northern outskirts of Le Mans, has banned unaccompanied minors under the age of 16 from being in certain areas on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. This applies from 11.00 pm until 6.00 am the following day.

Authorities in the French Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe have also imposed a curfew on minors in the main towns of Pointe-à-Pitre and Les Abymes. This follows recent protests that escalated into violence.

Meanwhile, earlier on Saturday, around half a million people took to the streets across France to protest against the soaring cost of living. This marked the culmination of a four-week series of protests that began with students’ demands for improved conditions in secondary schools.

Peaceful demonstrations turned violent in many towns, as masked groups attacked law enforcement officers, broke into and set fire to public buildings, looted shops, and set fire to cars, bicycles and scooters. More than 2,500 people were arrested and nearly 1,000 members of the security forces were injured.

Protesters were also injured. One demonstrator lost his hand as a result of a police crowd-control grenade.

These riots erupted just six months before France is due to elect a successor to President Emmanuel Macron, who is currently in power. Macron acknowledged shortcomings in the government’s response, despite 60,000 law enforcement officers having been deployed on Saturday.

Tourists in Paris felt the impact of the disruption on Monday when they found the Louvre Museum closed due to the actions of a small group of student protesters. Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Paris urged American citizens to avoid the demonstration sites.

It is not just France; previously, other European countries have also experienced demonstrations over price rises. Clashes broke out in Milan, Italy, and Belgium over the weekend, whilst protests have also begun to emerge in Spain and Portugal.