Protestsupdated 1h ago2 min read
France Imposes Curfews After Riots, Arrests 2,400, Injures Nearly 1,000 Police
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About 2,400 people detained amid nationwide protests and unrest. Military personnel deployed to bolster security ahead of weekend protests.
Curfews, troops, and arrests
France’s government imposed new curfews in Paris and across France after riots and looting during cost-of-living protests, and Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, "The deployment next Saturday will be massive." France’s Interior Ministry said nearly 2,400 people were arrested and almost 1,000 police and gendarmes were injured, after crowds clashed with police and stormed public buildings including the historic Limoges city hall.
“‘The deployment next Saturday will be massive,’ Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.”
France’s police emptied and guarded the Place de la Republique on Monday night with a helicopter overhead, and authorities implemented new public orders around the Place de la Republique from 11pm local time on Tuesday to 6am Wednesday. France’s police also enforced a ban on public gatherings from 8pm Tuesday in les Halles near the presidential palace, the parliament and senate buildings, the Champs-Elysees shopping avenue, in the Vendome square where jewellery stores are located and near train stations.
Macron, Nunez, and blame
Emmanuel Macron condemned "failures in anticipation and intelligence" by French authorities, and the Elysee Palace said Macron refused the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. Laurent Nunez told lawmakers that police across the country had "lost control" of the situation over the weekend, and he said he tendered his resignation "because I felt responsible for everything that happened."
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called for "very limited" and "localized" curfews in cities around the country to curb further unrest, and he said he was "absolutely determined to restore order." Benoit Payan, the left-wing mayor of Marseille, said it was "unacceptable to use this type of claim to enter, break and destroy the foundations that unite us as a nation."
Military support and policing
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said some military forces from Operation Sentinelle would be deployed to free up police and gendarmes for expected demonstrations, and he said their mission would be "to replace internal security forces mainly on static guarding duties". Operation Sentinelle, launched in January 2015, has 10,000 soldiers deployed across France to defend against potential terrorist attacks, and troops are usually stationed outside sites deemed sensitive such as places of worship, schools, tourist locations, railway stations and airports.
French police used social media and video from thousands of security cameras to identify looters, and an officer in a special operations room said, "We are working the social networks... then we go over all that with our own tools." Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that facial recognition would be used to compare a police database of mugshots with images posted on social media, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the curfews helped keep last night calm.