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An illustrative image of French police officers during an operation in Paris accompanies the government's introduction of local curfews and protest restrictions following riots and looting.
France Imposes Local Curfews After Riots and Looting Across Cities
PARIS — October 19, 2026
French authorities imposed local curfews and restrictions on public gatherings in several cities on Monday after a weekend of riots and looting linked to nationwide protests over the government and the cost of living.
The measures affected parts of Paris, Lille and Nice, while Marseille banned gatherings and demonstrations. The government opted for local restrictions rather than a blanket curfew across the capital, with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu saying targeted measures were more appropriate for the time being.
Paris police prohibited protests in certain areas from 8 p.m. and imposed an overnight curfew around Place de la République and Les Halles from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Authorities also said curfews for minors would apply from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for two days in Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain. Nice introduced an overnight curfew for minors in its city centre.
Lecornu said the government was determined to restore order as authorities faced criticism over their response to the unrest. The Interior Ministry reported that around 2,400 people had been arrested and nearly 1,000 police officers injured. One protester died from cardiac arrest on Saturday, according to the ministry.
The unrest followed weeks of student demonstrations and broader protests over living costs and public services. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets over the weekend, while clashes between some demonstrators and police escalated into widespread property damage and looting.
The Federation of Trade and Retail said almost 3,000 shops had been affected. In Paris, storefronts belonging to luxury brands including Dior, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Gucci were damaged. In Marseille, the official store of football club Olympique de Marseille was looted, while a town hall in the central French city of Limoges was set on fire.
Business owners said they had struggled to protect their premises. Gérard Nouchi, who manages two clothing stores in Marseille, said there had not been enough police to stop looters. The retail federation called for social security and tax relief for affected businesses, while Lecornu said the government would introduce furlough measures from Tuesday.
The unrest has also created political pressure for President Emmanuel Macron’s government. Macron rejected Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s offer to resign and instead instructed him to address the security failures and provide transparency over what the president described as shortcomings in intelligence and preparation.
Lecornu blamed far-left groups for some of the violence, arguing that they sought to create major unrest ahead of France’s next presidential election. Left-wing presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon challenged the accusation and demanded evidence, warning against statements that could inflame tensions.
The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon said in a joint opinion article that their cities were accustomed to demonstrations but that the weekend’s events had left them feeling that entire areas had been left without protection.
Authorities also ordered online platforms selling looted goods to remove listings and cooperate with efforts to prosecute people reselling stolen items. Despite the restrictions, student gatherings and blockades continued at some locations in Paris, including near the Louvre and Sciences Po university.
The security crisis comes as France faces economic and political pressures, including a weak economy, rising public debt and the need to pass a budget aimed at controlling government finances. French financial markets underperformed broader European markets on Monday amid concerns about the political fallout.
Nuñez said a Champions League football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona scheduled for Tuesday evening would go ahead as planned. The start of school holidays could reduce student activity, but authorities continued to monitor demonstrations and public gatherings.
As French cities began clearing damaged streets and assessing losses, Macron travelled to Kuwait as part of a Gulf visit aimed at securing additional petrol and diesel supplies to help lower fuel prices.
