France spent the weekend watching its cities burn, so Monday night the government reached for the oldest tool it has: a curfew. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu ordered what he called “very limited, localised” curfews across the riot-hit cities, and by nightfall they were in force.
In Paris, the curfew covers Place de la Republique from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. and the streets around Les Halles from 10 p.m., with gatherings banned in other parts of the capital from 8 p.m. In Lyon, gatherings were banned from 6 to 9 p.m. before a curfew took over parts of the city until 6 a.m. Marseille skipped the curfew and banned gatherings outright from midday to 8 p.m. Nice put minors in the city center under a 9 p.m. curfew, and Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain put minors under an 8 p.m. curfew for two nights.
“It is out of the question to put all of Paris under curfew.”
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who kept a state of emergency in reserve if the curfews fail
The day itself stayed tense. Protesters blocked the entrance to the Louvre on Monday morning and the museum never opened. The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon published a joint letter saying whole sections of their cities had been left without protection over the weekend. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered to resign over the security failures. President Emmanuel Macron refused it.
The bill from the weekend keeps growing: about 2,400 people arrested, roughly 3,000 businesses damaged or looted, and the justice minister says 2,513 people have been taken into custody with 67 already jailed. The digital minister spent Monday telling resale sites like Vinted and eBay to pull listings for stolen goods. Unions have called the next round of strikes and rallies for November 5.
The curfews run through Tuesday morning. If Monday night goes the way Saturday did, the state of emergency Lecornu is holding back stops being a threat and becomes the next headline.
See also: France wakes up to the bill from its worst night of riots and Half a million people flood France’s streets over the cost of living.