France imposes partial curfews as Marseille bans Monday gatherings
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu says prefects will impose partial, localised curfews in riot-hit towns and cities from tonight, after a weekend of violence that brought more than 2,400 arrests.
France will impose partial and localised curfews in towns and cities hit by weekend rioting, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday, adding he would not rule out a state of emergency if the violence continues.
Speaking after an emergency meeting, Lecornu said prefects would receive powers to impose “very limited” curfews from Monday night, with some applying only to under-18s. AFP reported the first curfews would run 8pm to 6am on Monday and Tuesday in four northern cities, including Lille.
The move follows President Emmanuel Macron’s televised address on Sunday, in which he gave officials powers to ban protest marches. In the first use of those powers, the prefect of Marseille banned public gatherings from midday to 8pm on Monday.
More than 2,400 people were arrested across France over the weekend, and at least 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted.
Macron rejected Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s resignation offer on Monday, tasking him with urgent action against looting and full transparency over intelligence failures. Lecornu also announced a furlough scheme for businesses forced to shut after weekend ransacking, starting Tuesday.
Sources: The Times, Le Monde, The Korea Times (AFP).
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