Paris extends nightly curfew to Monday after week of rioting
Police banned overnight gatherings around Place de la République and Les Halles as France's justice minister reported 217 people jailed after last weekend's riots.
Paris police extended a nightly curfew in parts of the French capital to Monday morning, running every night from 23:00 to 06:00, according to a police prefecture order published on Thursday. The curfew covers Place de la République and the streets around Les Halles, and has been in force since violence and looting broke out across France last weekend.
Police also banned any unannounced gathering overnight near the Élysée Palace, the Champs-Élysées and railway stations on Thursday and into Friday, a restriction covering both adults and minors.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 217 people have been jailed so far out of roughly 2,700 arrested nationwide after the rioting and looting of 17-18 October. He said half of those detained had no previous criminal record and most were men aged 18 to 25. Darmanin said he had told prosecutors to appeal any sentence that fell short of his guidelines and to seek bans on voting or protesting for those convicted.
President Emmanuel Macron is due to visit security forces on Friday and will chair a defence council meeting on security measures for Saturday, when fresh nationwide protests are planned. About 20% more police and gendarmes will be deployed than were on duty on 17 October, when officers were often overwhelmed.
Macron has banned demonstrations not organised by trade unions for the coming days, though union-organised marches may still go ahead, potentially on altered routes. A police ban on a student march in Paris on Thursday was lifted by an emergency court injunction, and hundreds attended; marches planned the same day in Grenoble, Rouen, Le Havre and Toulon were stopped.
Authorities have banned all demonstrations in central Lyon and Marseille on Saturday and imposed similar restrictions in parts of Bordeaux and Lille. In Limoges, where rioters set fire to the city hall last weekend, gatherings of more than ten people and all protests are banned from Saturday morning to Sunday morning, alongside its own curfew from Friday evening to Monday. Orléans has banned protests on Sunday, when the far-right Rassemblement National holds a congress expected to draw 20,000 to 30,000 people.
The Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and other major Paris museums will stay closed on Saturday because of the planned demonstrations, and the NFL has cancelled a Paris event over fears of further unrest, according to La Razón.
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What we know
- Paris extended its nightly curfew (23:00-06:00) in parts of the city, including Place de la République and Les Halles, to Monday morning.
- Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 217 people have been jailed out of 2,700 arrested nationwide after the 17-18 October riots.
- Macron banned demonstrations not organised by unions and will chair a security council meeting on Saturday's planned protests.
- Limoges, where the city hall was burned down, has its own ban on gatherings and a separate curfew this weekend.
- Major Paris museums, including the Louvre, will close on Saturday because of planned protests.
Why it matters for Europe
The curfews and bans show how far the unrest that began as protests over the rising cost of living has escalated into sustained disorder across France, with damage severe enough in Limoges to destroy its city hall. The scale of the police and judicial response, including thousands of arrests and extra security planned for Saturday, points to concern in Paris that this weekend's demonstrations could again turn violent.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 4 countries.
- De Morgen: Live - Parijs verlengt avondklok tot maandag • 217 mensen in de cel na rellen, Macron bezoekt vrijdag ordediensten
- Het Parool: Meer dan 200 celstraffen na rellen in Frankrijk, grote musea in Parijs zaterdag dicht vanwege aangekondigde protesten
- La Razón: La NFL cancela un evento en París por miedo a los disturbios
- France 24: Curfew imposed in certain areas of Paris every night until Monday morning
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Questions and answers
- Which parts of Paris are under curfew?
- The curfew, in force nightly from 23:00 to 06:00 until Monday morning, covers Place de la République and the streets around Les Halles.
- How many people have been arrested over the unrest?
- Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said about 2,700 people have been arrested nationwide, with 217 jailed so far.
- What happened in Limoges?
- Rioters set fire to the city hall during the unrest; the city has now banned gatherings of more than ten people and imposed its own curfew for the weekend.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.