Paris extends curfew as Marseille and Lyon ban protests after riots

Paris is extending a partial curfew that restricts movement in parts of the city until Monday, while Marseille and Lyon impose a total ban on protests this weekend.

The Louvre, Orsay and Picasso museums in the French capital will also be closed on Saturday as more demonstrations are expected.

France is still reeling from major disorder at the weekend, when large protests against the high cost of living and school conditions were overshadowed by riots and looting that saw business and historic buildings destroyed.

In other parts of the country where protests have not been banned completely, President Emmanuel Macron said only authorised union demonstrations will be allowed on Saturday.

Interior Minister Jean-Didier Berger said police deployments would be increased by 20% compared to last weekend, after the government was accused of being blindsided by the scale of the unrest.

France’s justice minister said on Thursday that 217 people had been jailed over last weekend’s disorder after being convicted in fast-track trials, with that number expected to rise.

Gérald Darmanin said authorities had arrested 2,700 people across France, and more than 1,000 had appeared in court.

Half of those detained had no prior criminal record, he said, according to Le Figaro newspaper.

Police in Paris said its curfew in Place de la République, where protesters gathered last weekend, and the Les Halles shopping area will be extended until Monday.

Movement will be prohibited in both areas from 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT) until 06:00 the following morning, the capital’s prefecture said, adding that Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had ordered it.

Public transport in Marseille will be suspended on Saturday to try to prevent a repeat of the city’s riots.

The city saw some of the worst violence last weekend and damage to more than 500 businesses.

The prefecture for the Rhône region, which covers Marseille, said a curfew for minors would be extended to the entire population overnight on Saturday 24 October, from 23:00 to 05:00 (21:00 – 03:00 GMT).

Similar announcements have been made in Nice in the south, Toulon on the south coast, the centre of Rouen in the north-west, and Grenoble in the east.

Macron met with intelligence services and ministers on Thursday to prepare for Saturday’s next national day of protests.

“The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations. Those who want to continue to demonstrate, when they are trade union organisations, will have alternative routes proposed by the prefects,” the French president announced.

“When they’re not union organisations, wherever possible, they’ll be banned.”

He attacked what he called “political and even seditious acts organised by far-left groups that aim to bring down the Republic”.

Curfews were imposed in several cities after the weekend rioting, and Macron said the government wanted a return to calm.

The gilets jaunes (yellow-vest) movement was behind many of last weekend’s protests, and Paris authorities have banned several of their proposed marches.

Partial curfews variously restricting the movement of young people and gatherings have been in place this week in cities including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Lyon in the south as well as Lille and other towns in the north.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promised a “massive” deployment of police officers this week to handle any unrest this weekend, but some officers have told French media they are not trained to handle large crowds.

Unrest spread across several French cities last weekend, including the capital Paris

Around 550,000 people took part in demonstrations on 17 October to protest rising fuel prices and the cost of living, which have escalated after weeks of student protests.

Marches were largely peaceful and took place in several major French cities, including Paris, and were backed by unions, gilets jaunes, and student groups. But they were marred by scenes of violence, looting and destruction.

Lyon’s tourism office was set on fire by demonstrators during last weekend’s protests.

In Limoges, the clock tower and parts of the ornate city hall roof were engulfed in flames before collapsing on Saturday.

A second suspect aged 66 was arrested on Thursday, after a man in his 30s was detained on suspicion of the attempted murder of police officers who were in the city hall when the fire started.

The iconic Place de la République was vandalised in the capital, Paris, when groups of rioters took over parts of the city, wreaking havoc.

The unrest has come as Macron enters the final months of his presidency, with elections scheduled for 18 April and 1 May next year.