France announced nightly curfews on Tuesday in Paris and other major cities, including Lyon and Marseille, to curb rioting and looting after weekend protests over the rising cost of living, with Paris police saying the restrictions would remain "for as long as necessary."1,5,6,7
Curfews first took effect on Monday night in cities including Paris, Bordeaux, Nice and Lyon, as French police sought to combat the violence that followed the weekend demonstrations. France 24 reported that Monday's order had calmed some of the most destructive rioting in recent years, and fresh curfew orders were announced for Tuesday night across city centers of Paris, Lyon and Marseille.1,7
The protests, which devolved into the worst rioting in France for several years, saw some demonstrators target businesses and government buildings, according to ABC News. Protesters accused police of using excessively violent tactics. The demonstrations first erupted in September as a student-led movement demanding reforms to the education system, and in recent weeks they have grown into a broader movement demanding action on rising living costs.7
Paris police said the curfew in two designated zones of the capital would remain in place "for as long as necessary," a statement that appeared in several reports on the measures. The restrictions are intended to prevent further disorder in the city.1,5
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called for localized curfews in cities to curb the rioting and looting. In a post to X on Tuesday morning, he wrote, "Targeted curfews have contributed to the calm of this night." He added, "I thank the police officers and gendarmes who ensured their enforcement, as well as the prefects for their mobilization."4,3,7
Lecornu said that further restrictions would depend on local conditions. "Tonight, new curfews will be decided where the situation requires it. These decisions will be made on the ground, by the prefects, in coordination with the mayors," he said.7
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Monday that 2,513 people had been taken into custody during the recent protests, and that 67 people had been imprisoned. He said "dozens of judicial investigations" were still ongoing. Nunez said that around 60,000 police and other security forces had been deployed across the country, but he acknowledged that authorities had been unable to suppress the riots in cities including Paris, Marseille and Lyon.7
Speaking to French radio on Monday, Nunez blamed "rioters, looters and ultra-left militants" for the unrest. "You couldn't look shopkeepers in the eye after hundreds of shops had been looted and say we hadn't lost control," he said.7
Among the most serious damage to public buildings occurred in the central city of Limoges, where a historic town hall was set ablaze on Saturday. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a post to X on Sunday that counter-terrorism authorities were involved in the investigation. "The fire at Limoges town hall affects us just as much as that of Notre-Dame," Darmanin wrote, referring to the 2019 fire that badly damaged the Paris cathedral. "We are taking the situation very seriously."7
The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has so far taken a watching role. "The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has positioned itself as an observer. It is carefully assessing the situation and will determine in the coming hours whether it takes charge of this case," Darmanin wrote.7
Demonstrations related to education and living costs have also taken place elsewhere in Europe, with protesters over the weekend in Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece and Albania. In Milan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on X on Sunday that "criminals" were seeking to "exploit demonstrations to seek confrontation and sow chaos" amid clashes between marchers and police. Local media reported that luxury shops in the city's historic center closed early on Monday and boarded up their storefronts.7
In Portugal, protesters set up a tent camp in Rossio Square in Lisbon to demand government action on rising rents and property prices. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro acknowledged their concerns but warned against "importing into Portugal climates of instability and protest that, in fact, have no support in Portuguese society."7
The unrest comes ahead of the presidential election in April 2027, which will mark the end of President Emmanuel Macron's two terms. Among the leading candidates are Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, and Jean-Luc Melenchon, who leads the left-wing France Unbowed party. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump hailed Le Pen as France's "conservative voice" but stopped short of endorsing her. Asked in the Oval Office whether he would back her, Trump said, "Well, I don't know her, I haven't met her, but I thought she was badly treated. It would look like a weaponisation to me." Le Pen was convicted of graft by a French court in March 2025, and an appeals court this year cleared the way for her to run in 2027.1,7
For now, the next steps depend on local decisions by prefects and mayors, and on the national anti-terrorism prosecutor's decision about the Limoges fire, which Darmanin said would come in the coming hours.7
