Events in France: 350 Arrests on Sunday and in the Night in Paris, some 30 Looted Shops
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ordered limited curfews after at least 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted in weekend unrest, officials said.
- On Monday, October 19, 2026, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu instructed regional prefects to impose "very limited" and "localized" curfews in cities to prevent further rioting and looting following weekend violence.
- Weekend demonstrations drew over 500,000 people protesting rising living costs and poor school conditions, but descended into rioting that resulted in nearly 2,400 arrests and damage to at least 3,000 businesses across France.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledged police "lost control" in major cities and offered his resignation on Sunday, but President Emmanuel Macron refused it, citing the need for "continued command of law enforcement in the current context."
- Opposition leader Marine Le Pen described the government as "exhausted and incapable," while officials blamed "ultra-left" agitators for the violence ahead of France's presidential election in six months.
- Similar demonstrations erupted in Italy and Belgium over the weekend, reflecting broader European discontent as rising costs of living fuel public anger across the continent.
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PARIS. Emmanuel Macron's government's announcement of nighttime curfews in Paris, Lille, Lyon, Nice and a number of other French cities is a show of strength and increased security after the weekend's violent riots. It may work. But the risk is that it will have the opposite effect.
Violence, arson, and looting erupted in France over the weekend. Following this, the government imposed restrictions in several cities, including Paris, Lille, and Nice. Curfews have been imposed in some areas, and public gatherings have also been banned. Around 2,400 people were arrested during the violence.
France is still shocked by the scenes of chaos on Saturday and, to a lesser extent, on Sunday night, when hooded protesters looted hundreds of shops and set fire to the town hall of Limoges, in the centre of the country.
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