France Imposes Local Curfews after Riots Damage Nearly 3,000 Shops
PARIS, October 20 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - French authorities imposed local curfews and restrictions on demonstrations after weekend riots and looting affected almost 3,000 shops, adding to pressure on the government over its handling of security.
The measures introduced on Monday varied by location. In Paris, police banned protests in designated areas from 8 p.m. and imposed an 11 p.m. curfew around Place de la République and Les Halles. Both restrictions were scheduled to end at 6 a.m. on Tuesday.
Curfews for minors were also introduced in Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for two days, a source in Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said. Nice imposed an overnight curfew for minors in its centre, while Marseille banned gatherings and demonstrations.
Lecornu ruled out a blanket curfew in Paris, saying local measures were more appropriate for now, but did not rule out a state of emergency.
The Federation of Trade and Retail said almost 3,000 shops had been affected during the weekend and called for social security and tax relief for businesses. Lecornu said furlough support would be available from Tuesday.
Luxury stores in central Paris were among those damaged. A Dior boutique’s front door was smashed, while windows at Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Gucci stores were damaged. Many shops around Place Vendôme remained shuttered and guarded on Monday.
The Interior Ministry reported about 2,400 arrests and nearly 1,000 injured officers. One protester died following a cardiac arrest on Saturday.
The unrest followed weeks of student demonstrations and nationwide protests over deteriorating public services. Unions called for another round of strikes and rallies on November 5.
President Emmanuel Macron rejected Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s offer to resign, his office said. Macron instead instructed him to end barricades and looting and provide transparency over intelligence and planning failures.
Nuñez said 60,000 police and other security personnel had been deployed on Saturday but acknowledged that the deployment had not been enough to control violent crowds.
Source: Reuters.
