Paris: France will impose new curfews where needed on Tuesday, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, as authorities sought to restore order after weekend demonstrations degenerated into riots.
The eurozone’s second-largest economy was rocked on Saturday by some of its worst street violence in recent years, just six months before the election to replace President Emmanuel Macron.
Images of clashes, mobs looting stores and public buildings set ablaze circulated around the world, prompting several countries, including the United States, China and Germany, to issue travel advisories for their citizens in France.
Accused of failing to anticipate and contain the street violence, the government has pledged to restore order, and had announced partial curfews in Paris and some other cities on Monday.
During the night, a helicopter flew over the French capital’s Place de la Republique, one of the epicentres of the unrest, sweeping a powerful searchlight across the square to monitor compliance with the curfew.
“The sound of a helicopter at one in the morning is a bit oppressive,” said Sylvain Courant, a resident of the Les Halles neighbourhood, another hotspot of the street violence.
“It’s that thing you see on TV, in all the good war films.”
Macron, currently on a Gulf tour aimed at securing oil and diesel supplies in an effort to bring down prices, has acknowledged shortcomings in the handling of the protests.
France is wrestling with a multitude of crises including high public debt, anger over soaring prices and the rise of the far right.
The unrest on Saturday broke out after around half a million people turned out across France to denounce the cost of living, following four weeks of school protests.
Targeted Curfews
The government scheduled another series of emergency meetings on Tuesday, including talks involving representatives of major social media platforms. Talks with trade unions are scheduled for Wednesday.
Lecornu said new curfews would be decided “where the situation requires it,” adding the measures had contributed to calm overnight.
Several cities, including Paris, the southwestern city of Bordeaux and Nice on the French Riviera, introduced partial curfews on Monday in response to urban unrest that followed weeks of student demonstrations over poor learning conditions in high schools.
A targeted curfew for minors was to be introduced in several districts of the southern port city of Marseille from Tuesday evening and at least through Friday, a source close to the matter told AFP.
On Tuesday, security forces arrested a man believed to be connected to the ultra-left over the burning down of a historic town hall in the central city of Limoges, whose destruction has become a symbol of the violence. Anti-terror police have been called in to investigate the suspected arson.
Authorities have come under criticism from parties across the political spectrum, with far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen describing the unrest as a “wake-up call” that exposed a “profound crisis” of authority.
Investors have sold off French debt in recent weeks amid rising doubts about the government’s ability to rein in spending.
Nationwide, more than 2,500 people have been taken into police custody since the weekend, and 67 people had been jailed.
Some demonstrators were seriously injured. In the eastern city of Mulhouse, a 17-year-old girl lost an eye. In Saint-Etienne, a 17-year-old boy had his hand blown off by a grenade.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered to resign on Sunday, saying police “had lost control” during the unrest. Macron rejected his resignation.
Finance Minister Roland Lescure has pledged support measures for shopkeepers and craftspeople.
Patrick Martin, the head of France’s Medef business lobby group, accused the state of having “failed” during the urban unrest that hit at least 3,000 businesses, according to preliminary estimates.
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