France to impose new curfews after unrest, PM says

France will impose new curfews where needed after weekend demonstrations turned into riots, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Several cities, including Paris, Bordeaux and Nice, introduced partial curfews on Monday after urban unrest that followed weeks of student demonstrations over poor learning conditions in high schools. Lecornu said targeted curfews had helped keep the night calm, and police said there had been no major incidents across France overnight.

The government scheduled more emergency meetings on Tuesday, including talks with major social media platforms. Lecornu is also due to meet trade unions on Wednesday and political parties on Thursday.

More than 2,500 people have been taken into police custody nationwide since the weekend, and 67 people had been jailed. Some demonstrators were seriously injured, including a 17-year-old girl who lost an eye in Mulhouse and a 17-year-old boy whose hand was blown off by a grenade in Saint-Etienne.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered to resign on Sunday, saying police had lost control during the unrest, but President Emmanuel Macron rejected the resignation. Macron has acknowledged shortcomings in the handling of the protests.

The unrest drew criticism from across the political spectrum. Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen called it a “wake-up call” and said it exposed a “profound crisis” of authority.

France's Medef business lobby head Patrick Martin accused the state of having failed during unrest that hit at least 3,000 businesses, according to preliminary estimates. Finance Minister Roland Lescure has promised support measures for shopkeepers and craftspeople.

Macron, who is on a Gulf tour aimed at securing oil and diesel supplies to help bring down prices, secured the delivery of an additional 200,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, the presidency said.