Europe

France imposes partial curfews in Paris and four northern cities

Interior minister concedes police lost control of riots that looted 2,000 shops, Macron refuses his resignation and keeps him on to explain his own failure

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'It's hell': residents reel after violent weekend riots across France – video 'It's hell': residents reel after violent weekend riots across France – video theguardian.com
France protests escalate with riots, looting and 2,400 arrests - The Latest France protests escalate with riots, looting and 2,400 arrests - The Latest theguardian.com
Laurent Nuñez, the interior minister, offered his resignation to Emmanuel Macron, which was declined. Photograph: Julien de Rosa/Pool AFP/AP Laurent Nuñez, the interior minister, offered his resignation to Emmanuel Macron, which was declined. Photograph: Julien de Rosa/Pool AFP/AP theguardian.com
An estimated 2,000 shops were ransacked and looted across France during the rioting. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images An estimated 2,000 shops were ransacked and looted across France during the rioting. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images theguardian.com
The Louvre was unable to open as scheduled on Monday because of protesters blocking its entrance. Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters The Louvre was unable to open as scheduled on Monday because of protesters blocking its entrance. Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters theguardian.com

France imposed partial night curfews in Paris and four northern cities on Monday after two nights of riots that left around 2,400 people under arrest and, by the authorities' own estimate, some 2,000 shops ransacked. Interior minister Laurent Nuñez conceded that police had "lost control" and offered his resignation; President Emmanuel Macron refused it.

The admission came with its own arithmetic. Intelligence had prepared for 200,000 demonstrators nationwide, Nuñez said; more than 500,000 turned out. Sixty thousand police and security forces were deployed, and he acknowledged their numbers were at times inadequate against organised groups of rioters and looters in Paris, Marseille and Lyon. "You couldn't look shopkeepers in the eye after hundreds of shops had been looted and say we hadn't lost control," he told French radio.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting, declared himself "fully resolved to restore public order" while ruling out any question of confining entire cities. His office ordered curfews from 8pm to 6am in four northern cities, including Lille. Paris police closed Place de la République — where Saturday's rioting was concentrated — and the looted Les Halles shopping district from 11pm to 6am, banning anyone from entering or remaining in the two areas. Marseille went further on its own authority, prohibiting all gatherings and demonstrations. Declaring a state of emergency, Lecornu noted, was something "we could do" if deemed necessary, but partial curfews seemed "more appropriate" at this stage.

The riots grew out of weeks of demonstrations by high-school students already marred by violent clashes with police, and they land six months before a presidential election amid mounting economic pressure. Macron has demanded a full security review and "new operational methods" to end the rioting. The unions have called a new round of strikes and rallies for 5 November. Digital minister Anne Le Henanff summoned online resale platforms over listings for stolen goods, with representatives of Vinted and eBay joined by Amazon, Leboncoin, Meta and TikTok.

Nuñez tendered his resignation because he felt "responsible for everything that happened." Macron refused it and instructed him instead to "take all necessary steps to ensure transparency over planning and intelligence failures."