France imposes targeted curfews after violent nationwide protests

France imposed targeted curfews after weekend protests descended into rioting, looting and attacks on public buildings in several cities, including Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the local restrictions helped produce a quieter Monday night and could be extended where authorities considered them necessary.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledged that police had “lost control” in some cities and said authorities had underestimated turnout. Intelligence had projected about 200,000 demonstrators, but more than 500,000 participated nationwide, according to The Guardian. Nuñez offered his resignation, which President Emmanuel Macron rejected while ordering a review of security planning and intelligence failures.

Officials said more than 2,500 people had been arrested and about 1,000 police officers injured. Authorities estimated that roughly 2,000 shops were ransacked or looted. The demonstrations began with students demanding improved school conditions and expanded to include concerns about fuel prices, living costs and public services.

In Limoges, police arrested a 40-year-old suspect reportedly linked to a far-left movement after the city’s 19th-century town hall was set on fire. Its clock tower and sections of the roof collapsed. Limoges Mayor Guillaume Guérin alleged that national police ran out of ammunition before rioters reached the building.

Lecornu said a nationwide state of emergency remained possible but that partial curfews were more appropriate at this stage. Restrictions covered parts of central Paris and areas of Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon and Lille.