France Imposes Curfews After Violent Cost-of-Living Protests

French authorities imposed partial curfews and demonstration bans across multiple cities on Monday and Tuesday following a weekend of violent cost-of-living protests. Sébastien Lecornu, the Prime Minister, ordered localized curfews from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in four northern cities, including Lille, to prevent further looting and riots.

In Paris, police established an overnight curfew from 11 p.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday in the Place de la République and Les Halles neighborhoods. These orders prohibit gatherings and demonstrations to protect people and property. In Nice, Mayor Eric Ciotti established a separate curfew for minors in the city center. The unrest, which included looting and fires in Lyon and Marseille, resulted in approximately 2,400 arrests nationwide.

President Emmanuel Macron refused the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to maintain security command, though he tasked Nuñez with investigating intelligence and planning failures. Nuñez admitted police lost control in some cities and announced increased deployments of police and gendarme forces. The instability also impacted European markets, with Paris seeing a 1.1% loss as investors anticipated increased government spending.