Paris Curfews Ease Unrest as France Cracks Down on Rioters

PARIS – Paris experienced a largely peaceful night on Monday, offering a brief respite after a weekend of France’s most severe unrest in years. Authorities introduced overnight curfews in several cities as they worked to prevent further rioting, vandalism and looting.

At least 2,400 people were arrested after clashes erupted across France on Saturday. Protesters confronted police, torched vehicles, broke into public buildings and set fire to a historic city hall during nationwide demonstrations fueled by the rising cost of living and deteriorating conditions in schools.

The unrest continued in smaller pockets Sunday evening, when groups burned trash containers, bicycles and other street objects and ransacked shops in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and several other cities.

In Paris, the curfew lasted from 11 p.m. Monday until 6 a.m. Tuesday. A police helicopter circled above Place de la République, a key site during the weekend violence, using its searchlight to monitor the square and ensure the restrictions were followed.

Before dawn Tuesday, a crane lifted a huge fluorescent yellow vest from the statue in the center of the plaza. The display evoked France’s “yellow vest” movement, which began with protests over fuel prices in 2018 and posed a major challenge during President Emmanuel Macron’s first term.

Crews also cleaned the monument, using pressure washers to remove graffiti left during the unrest.

“The targeted curfews helped keep last night calm,” Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Tuesday in a post on X. He added that additional restrictions would be introduced that evening “wherever the situation requires,” with decisions made locally by prefects, the state’s regional representatives, in coordination with mayors.

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said in Lille that 149 people had been jailed nationwide by Tuesday afternoon. The Justice Ministry reported that roughly 2,500 people had been arrested since Saturday, with more than 800 brought before prosecutors. Most were either placed on immediate trial or ordered to return for a later hearing.

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In Paris, prosecutors said approximately 300 people had been referred to their office following the Oct. 17 protests.

Darmanin said he had instructed prosecutors to challenge sentences they believed were excessively lenient. He described imprisonment for property offenses involving people without prior convictions as “extremely rare, if not unheard of,” but said the justice system would respond with “extreme firmness.”

He cited the case of three men from Lille, ages 20 to 25, who had no criminal records. Each received a 10-month prison sentence and was taken into custody immediately after being convicted of looting a video game shop in the city’s historic district.

France’s lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, will investigate the Oct. 17 violence as well as the authorities’ policing approach. Assembly Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet said the inquiry’s conclusions are expected “by the end of the year.”

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Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.