France unrest: PM orders curfews, hints at declaring emergency; over 2,400 arrested

France is tightening security measures after a weekend of violent protests over rising living costs and deteriorating public services escalated into rioting, arson and looting across several cities.French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday that he had asked local authorities to impose limited, localised curfews to prevent further violence, while President Emmanuel Macron ordered a review of security failures and rejected the resignation of interior minister Laurent Nuñez.Authorities reported that more than 2,400 people were arrested nationwide over the weekend, with hundreds of businesses looted or damaged and public buildings targeted.The government has acknowledged shortcomings in anticipating the unrest, while promising changes to policing and investigations to identify those responsible.

European governments have also issued travel advisories urging their citizens in France to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings.French PM orders localised curfewsPrime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday that he had asked some municipalities to introduce partial curfews following the weekend's violent protests.According to the news agency Associated Press (AP), Lecornu instructed prefects to impose “very limited” and “localized” curfews in cities to prevent further rioting and looting.Speaking after an emergency meeting with senior government officials, Lecornu said: “On Saturday, despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle.”He defended the work of police officers who faced violent groups and said he was fully resolved to restoring public order.Lecornu also said that furlough measures would be available to businesses affected by the protests from Tuesday onwards.

He added that the government had no plans to cancel the Paris Saint-Germain-Barcelona football match scheduled for Tuesday.The prime minister said a state of emergency remained an option if the situation warranted it: “If declaring a state of emergency is deemed necessary, we would do so.”Macron rejects interior minister's resignationPresident Emmanuel Macron has rejected interior minister Laurent Nuñez's resignation following the violence, saying continued leadership of law enforcement was necessary during the current situation.Nuñez offered to resign over the weekend's rioting and looting but Macron refused, according to a statement from the French presidency.The president instructed Nuñez to “take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence”.Macron also called for “new policing tactics on the ground as quickly as possible” to prevent further violent incidents.Nuñez acknowledged shortcomings in the authorities' preparations, saying there had been a “lack of anticipation” in deploying security forces.

He said the police response needed to adapt to “extremely mobile groups” of rioters.“I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that is happening,” Nuñez said on France Inter radio on Monday.He added, “Now, the real issue is ensuring that this doesn’t happen again. … We obviously need to be better at anticipating the kind of mobilization that is unfolding.”Nuñez also acknowledged that police had lost control in some major cities on Saturday, telling the broadcaster: “You can’t look shopkeepers in the eye when hundreds of businesses have been looted and say we haven’t lost control in some of these major cities.

Obviously.”More than 2,400 arrestedThe unrest affected Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Limoges and other French cities, with groups of people setting fires, looting shops and targeting public buildings.Authorities said demonstrators and groups of rioters attacked city halls and other public offices.People set fire to rubbish bins, bicycles and other objects in Paris on Sunday, while businesses were looted in several cities.In Limoges, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building.

In Marseille, some protesters briefly forced their way into the City Hall lobby, while a police station was damaged. A fire also broke out inside a tourist office in Lyon.More than 2,400 people were arrested nationwide, according to figures reported by AP. Justice minister Gérald Darmanin put the number taken into police custody over the weekend at more than 2,330, with around 70% of them adults.Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said around 30 shops had been targeted in the capital on Sunday, describing the scenes as “unbearable”.

More than 2,000 shops were expected to have been affected across France, with damage estimated at hundreds of millions of euros, according to Alain Di Crescenzo, president of the chamber of commerce.The unrest also caused injuries. Almost 1,000 members of the security forces were injured. A 17-year-old girl lost an eye during protests in eastern France, while another young demonstrator lost a hand in Saint-Étienne.Police use of grenades and other crowd-control weapons has also come under scrutiny.Marseille bans public gatherings Authorities in Marseille imposed a ban on public gatherings and demonstrations from noon to 8 pm local time on Monday following violent protests and looting over the weekend.The measure was announced by the local administration.Olympique de Marseille said its official store on La Canebière, the city's historic main avenue, had been looted during the unrest.

The Ligue 1 club condemned the incident and expressed solidarity with Puma, its partner operating the store.“These events have caused significant property damage, forcing the club to temporarily close this store to the public,” the club said in a statement, adding that supporters could continue visiting its other official stores in Marseille.The planned visit to Marseille by Nuñez on Monday was also cancelled, according to Reuters, citing his entourage.Meanwhile, Darmanin said the unrest had exposed weaknesses in …