France turns to local curfews after weekend unrest and looting

French authorities began imposing targeted local curfews on Monday after two days of protests, arson and looting across the country left almost 1,000 police officers injured and led to nearly 2,400 arrests, according to official figures.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu asked regional authorities to introduce the restrictions in affected urban centres, saying they were preferable for now to a nationwide state of emergency. He said the government remained prepared to declare an emergency if necessary.

At least 3,000 businesses were affected, with damage expected to reach hundreds of millions of euros, the government said. The economy ministry met online retail platforms to discuss preventing the resale of stolen goods, while Lecornu announced support for ransacked businesses, including furlough arrangements for employees.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered to resign after acknowledging that police had “lost control” in some cities and that security deployments suffered from insufficient preparation. President Emmanuel Macron rejected the resignation, citing the need for continuity, and requested an explanation of intelligence and planning failures. Additional police are expected to be deployed ahead of further demonstrations.

Yellow Vest organisers, who declined to condemn the weekend violence, called for an “act two” protest on Saturday. Separately, students blocked access to the Louvre Museum in Paris on Monday in support of high school protests and against what they described as police repression, delaying the museum’s scheduled opening.