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There was serious rioting and looting in France over the weekend, with curfews imposed in Paris and several cities. Authorities admitted that their response was wrong, and at least 3,000 businesses were looted across the country. The government did not rule out declaring further emergency.
The worst rioting and looting in decades occurred across France last weekend. On the evening of the 19th, the government ordered night-time restrictions in parts of central Paris and cities such as Nice and Lille.curfew Trying to make people happy.
new York Times Students began protesting against the poor conditions of high schools in September, and unions and other groups later joined in their support, raising concerns about the rising cost of living and fuel consumption, the BBC reports.oil price Demands like rising prices. However, some unknown groups took the opportunity to attack government buildings on the 17th, destroying shops and looting. The curfew also shows that the government is trying to regain control of the situation.
Paris police ordered a curfew to be enforced from 11 pm on the 19th to 6 am on the 20th in the Les Halles shopping area, which was targeted by looters, and the Place de la Republique, where most of the weekend’s violence took place. Police also banned gatherings in more than ten areas of Paris from 8 pm on the 19th, including the presidential palace, areas around both houses of Congress, and several train stations.
Cities and towns such as Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon in the south and Lille in the north have also announced partial curfew measures to restrict the activities and gatherings of young people in various ways.
Authorities have faced criticism for being woefully unprepared for the violence and looting that broke out during large-scale organized protests. The government estimates that at least 3,000 businesses were looted across the country over the weekend, double the number announced by retail industry groups on the 18th. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez admitted in an interview on the 19th that police were unprepared to deal with large-scale riots arising from largely peaceful protests across the country. He had submitted his resignation to President Macron a day earlier, but it was not accepted.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin also acknowledged that authorities had “undoubtedly failed” to respond to France’s worst unrest in years. He told a French television program that “mistakes” had been made in the intelligence work.
However, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu adopted a different tone, praising the police performance against a “mysterious network” of far-left agitators and accusing them of trying to “plunge the country into serious chaos on the eve of the presidential elections”.
Officials said more than 2,500 people had been arrested. One protester’s hand was blown off by a grenade used by police to control the crowd, and about 1,000 police officers were injured, Agence France-Presse reported. After calling a crisis meeting on the 19th, Lequenu said that local mayors have been authorized to impose curfews “where necessary”, but did not specify specific cities. He also did not rule out imposing a state of emergency throughout the country and said the government would allocate funds to aid the recovery of affected areas and then recover related costs from the perpetrators of the violence.
Summary FAQ
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This is one of the most serious riots in France in decades. Authorities estimate that at least 3,000 businesses have been looted across the country, more than 2,500 people have been arrested, and nearly 1,000 police officers have been injured, indicating that the situation is seriously out of control.
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The government imposed a nightly curfew in parts of central Paris and cities such as Nice and Lille. It has also restricted gatherings in many areas and authorized local mayors to step up controls as needed to restore order.
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Both the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Justice acknowledged that the police and intelligence operations were poorly prepared, but Prime Minister Leknu emphasized the performance of the police and said that a state of national emergency would not be ruled out, and the government would also allocate funds to aid reconstruction and recover the costs of criminals.
