French prime minister calls for limited curfews to curb rioting and looting

PARIS (AP) — The French prime minister called for “very limited” and “localized” curfews Monday after a weekend marred by France’s worst rioting in years that targeted city halls, other public buildings and thousands of businesses across the country.Speaking after an emergency meeting with senior government officials, Sébastien Lecornu defended police handling of the unrest, saying that “despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle.”He said details of the curfews would be announced later Monday after consultations with mayors.Mass protests in France are often tainted by violence on the fringes of otherwise peaceful marches, leading to clashes with police. Saturday’s unrest recalled the riots that followed the fatal police shooting of a teenager in 2023, when authorities imposed local curfews, and violence during the yellow vest movement that began in 2018 over fuel prices and broader economic grievances.Macron rejects interior minister’s resignationThe prime minister's instructions come after Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation Sunday, but President Emmanuel Macron refused it “given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context,” Macron's office said in a statement Monday.He instructed Nuñez “to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence,” the statement said.Macron also asked for the introduction of “new policing tactics on the ground as quickly as possible” to put an end to the violence.On Sunday evening, groups set fire to trash bins, bicycles and other objects in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities. That followed the violence during nationwide protests Saturday against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

At least 2,400 people were arrested across the country.Authorities estimated Monday that at least 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted in several cities.In Marseille, the prefect banned any protest or other gatherings from noon to 8 p.m. Monday.“I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that is happening,” Nuñez said on France Inter radio. “Now the real issue is ensuring that this doesn’t happen again.

… We obviously need to be better at anticipating the kind of mobilizatio… … We obviously need to be better at anticipating the kind of mobilizati…