France has ordered overnight curfews in Paris and other major cities to contain violence that has spread nationwide.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on the 19th that he had instructed regional authorities to impose curfews as early as that day, after chairing an emergency response meeting, according to AFP and Reuters.
Lecornu said the curfews would be partial and limited to specific areas, with local authorities deciding whether to apply them. He said one of the aims of the curfews was to protect property such as shops, not just people. He did not rule out declaring a state of emergency but added that localized curfews were more appropriate at this stage.
Regional authorities announced curfew plans immediately. Police in Paris barred movement in the Place de la Republique and the Les Halles commercial district from 11 p.m. that night until 6 a.m. on the 20th. Police said officers would be deployed to enforce the measure strictly.
According to the prime minister's office, partial curfews also took effect from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following morning in four northern cities: Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain.
In the southern city of Nice, Mayor Eric Ciotti said in an online video message that minors would be banned from the city center. Authorities in Marseille prohibited public gatherings from noon until 8 p.m.
The protests began with high school students demonstrating against poor education conditions and expanded into wider demonstrations against underinvestment in public services and high prices. As large protests escalated over the weekend, they gave way to violence, including arson at public facilities and looting of shops.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said about 2,330 people were detained by police over the weekend, 70% of them adults. Commerce Minister Serge Papin said at least 3,000 shops were damaged and that losses could reach hundreds of millions of euros.
Criticism of the security authorities' response has also been sharp. Critics said the authorities misjudged the scale and nature of the weekend protests and deployed too few officers on the ground, failing to maintain control. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered to resign to take responsibility, but President Emmanuel Macron rejected the offer, citing the need to maintain the chain of command. At a news conference with Lecornu, Nunez said more police and security personnel would be deployed to prevent looting and vandalism.
The protests are expected to continue despite the curfews. The Louvre Museum in Paris could not open that day after dozens of protesters blocked the glass pyramid entrance. The "yellow vest" movement has called for a second round of protests on the 24th, and major labor unions plan strikes and demonstrations on the 5th of next month, according to DPA.
Germany condemned the violence and warned its citizens traveling to France that further protests, and in some cases further violence, could not be ruled out in the coming days.