PARIS — French authorities extended overnight curfews across sections of Paris and other major metropolitan areas following destructive weekend riots, as the government prepared a heavy security mobilization for new demonstrations planned this weekend.
Police in Paris kept restrictions in place around the Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping district, announcing the measures would remain “for as long as necessary” after calm returned following nights of chaotic unrest, NPR reported. Similar curfews were maintained in central Lyon from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., while Marseille prohibited unaccompanied minors from city streets overnight.
Troops redeployed as new rallies loom
Student groups alongside factions linked to the yellow vest movement have urged demonstrators to return to the streets this coming Saturday. In response, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told lawmakers that the police deployment for the upcoming protests “will be massive,” according to NPR.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told parliament that soldiers from Operation Sentinelle, the domestic counterterrorism patrol established following the 2015 extremist attacks, will take over protection of sensitive public sites. The maneuver is intended to release gendarme and police units specifically for crowd-control operations.
The sweeping security response comes after nationwide rallies against surging living expenses and neglected conditions in schools turned into widespread unrest on Saturday, Oct. 17. The Guardian reported that roughly 550,000 people took part in protests that day, but demonstrations quickly unraveled into vandalism, store lootings and skirmishes with security forces. More than 2,000 shops were ransacked and 1,000 police officers suffered injuries, according to The Guardian.
Officials said at least 2,400 individuals have been detained across the country since Saturday, with over 800 people referred to prosecutors. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 149 people were jailed as of Tuesday, instructing prosecutors to challenge sentences viewed as insufficiently strict, NPR reported.
Political fallout and international reaction
The violence has sent ripples through French politics six months ahead of a presidential election. Outgoing President Emmanuel Macron denounced the wreckage, asking, “How can French people do this to France?” ABC News reported.
Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon alleged that the prime minister bore responsibility for the disorder through incompetence or an intentional effort to position the government as a guarantor of order, according to BBC News. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen asserted in a video address that France had been “taken hostage between violence and powerlessness,” blaming Mélenchon’s associates for the turmoil, the BBC reported.
Images of a blaze consuming the 143-year-old city hall in Limoges also drew international commentary. U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance attributed the unrest on social media to immigration. However, French authorities dismissed those claims and noted they have not implicated migrants in the disorder, blaming far-left groups and opportunistic looters instead. Darmanin announced that police arrested a suspect in the Limoges fire, whom French media reported had ties to radical environmental circles.
Economic strain and legislative review
The street turbulence has exacerbated mounting financial pressures. The Guardian reported that France’s national debt has reached 119 percent of gross domestic product, with budget deficits hovering at 5.1 percent, triggering investor unease and pushing borrowing costs higher than those of Greece.
The speaker of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, said the legislative body will open an inquiry into both the outbreak of violence and the tactics employed by law enforcement, with findings expected before the end of the year.
