Curfew orders took effect Monday across Paris and a number of other French cities, put in place after a weekend that began with demonstrations over the cost of living and ended with street confrontations that some observers characterised as the most geographically broad in recent years.
Rallies drawing an estimated 500,000 participants spread across France on Saturday, bringing four weeks of unrest to a head — a wave of demonstrations that had its roots in student-led calls for improved conditions in secondary schools. Gatherings that had begun without incident gave way to confrontations across numerous cities, where individuals in face coverings clashed with police, forced entry into public buildings — some of which were subsequently set alight — ransacked retail premises, and torched vehicles including cars, bicycles, and scooters.
Overnight restrictions on movement — running from Monday evening through to Tuesday morning — were set to take effect across several urban centres, among them Paris, Lille, and Lyon, with commercial premises cited as the reason for the measure. A nighttime curfew taking effect at 11.00 pm was put in place across the capital, with gatherings prohibited from 8.00 pm onward; Lecornu stated that restoring public order remained his firm intention.
Lecornu, who holds the position of prime minister, kept open the possibility of declaring a state of emergency after the interior minister indicated that police had lost their grip on the situation. The Louvre's doors remained shut to visitors after a protest staged by students drew a crowd onto the grounds.
Officials committed to restoring order, though the breadth of public unrest outpaced what they had prepared for. Officials placed responsibility for the unrest on groups they described as holding far-left political positions.
Detentions reached a toll of over 2,500 individuals, while close to a thousand personnel from the security forces sustained injuries. Among those hurt were protesters, including one whose hand was severed when a crowd-control grenade deployed by police detonated nearby.
Pointing to shortcomings in how the government had handled the situation, Macron noted that around 60,000 law enforcement officers had been on duty that Saturday. In a national television address that Sunday, Macron told viewers that the unrest had moved well past any reasonable limit.
Following those weekend events, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez put forward his resignation, though Macron chose not to accept it. Figures released by Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin put the total number of arrests across the country at upwards of 2,513 from the weekend onward. The statement included a figure of 67 people taken into custody, along with a note that criminal proceedings — described as numbering in the dozens — had been initiated.
Facial recognition applied to social media platforms was among the tools Darmanin indicated law enforcement would deploy to track down those responsible. On Monday, digital minister Anne Le Henanff summoned representatives from resale platforms — including Vinted and eBay — to remove listings connected to property taken during Saturday's disturbances. Repair bills across a minimum of 3,000 retail premises reached into the hundreds of millions of euros.
Living costs pressing down on household budgets have sparked scattered public disturbances, with clashes logged in Milan and Belgium over the weekend and gatherings drawing steady numbers in the streets of Spain and Portugal. Acknowledging that the incidents were unacceptable, the European Union also affirmed that France remains bound to uphold the right of people to gather and demonstrate peacefully.
Travel advisories for France were revised by German authorities, who also spoke out against the unrest, noting that additional incidents in the days ahead could not be excluded. Travel advisories directed at nationals heading to France were issued by Chinese authorities, with guidance urging those making the journey to stay alert to local conditions and follow recommended safety measures, according to a news outlet.
Protest organisers announced plans for a further demonstration the following Saturday, keeping the prospect of continued unrest alive just six months ahead of the presidential election to choose Macron's successor. Scheduled for April and May, the upcoming presidential vote to choose France's next head of state forms the backdrop against which the disturbances have unfolded.
