International
oi-Gaurav Sharma
France announced partial night curfews in four northern cities after days of demonstrations over soaring living costs turned into some of the country’s worst street violence in recent years.
Protests continued on Monday, with protesters blocking the entrance to Paris’s Louvre Museum as the government worked to restore public order.
Severe cost-of-living protests across France resulted in night curfews in four cities, over 2,500 arrests, nearly 1,000 security injuries, and the temporary closure of Paris’s Louvre Museum, with widespread damage reported.
The curfews will apply from 8pm to 6am on Monday and Tuesday, with Lille also affected, after a weekend of widespread clashes, looting and attacks on public buildings. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said he was focused on restoring order and would not exclude declaring a state of emergency.
The unrest comes six months before France’s presidential election, in which President Emmanuel Macron will depart after a decade in office.
Almost half a million people marched across France on Saturday to protest against the soaring cost of living. The protests came after four weeks of demonstrations which began with students complaining about poor conditions in high schools.
However, several marches turned violent as masked groups attacked the police, looted town halls and other public buildings, set fires to properties and cars and looted shops.
Thousands Arrested, Security Personnel Injured
The violence led to a massive security response, with around 60,000 law enforcement personnel deployed across France on Saturday.
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Over 2,500 were arrested during the unrest and nearly 1,000 members of the security forces were injured, according to figures cited by French authorities. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said more than 2,330 had been taken into police custody over the weekend, around 70 per cent of them adults.
Protesters have also been injured, with one demonstrator losing a hand after a police crowd-control grenade exploded.
President Macron conceded shortcomings in the response and condemned uncontrolled violence in a television address on Sunday.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered to resign on Monday after the chaos of the weekend, but Macron refused the gesture.
The economic damage has also increased with Small Business Minister Serge Papin saying at least 3,000 shops had been affected and estimates of losses at hundreds of millions of euros.
Louvre Museum Targeted as Protests Continue
In Paris, around a dozen demonstrators blocked the entrance to the Louvre on Monday, forcing the world’s most visited museum to close temporarily as tourists watched from behind barricades near its iconic glass pyramid.
The unrest has spread from the streets into major public spaces and tourist sites.
Meanwhile, Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff asked online resale platforms to withdraw listings suspected of involving stolen goods after reports of widespread looting.
Representatives of Vinted and eBay were summoned and companies such as Amazon, Leboncoin, Meta and TikTok were also invited to discussions, according to the commerce ministry.
Authorities in Marseille banned public gatherings between noon and 8pm on Monday.
Rising Prices Fuel Public Anger
The protests have been driven by growing concerns about personal finances with diesel prices in France up nearly 40 per cent and petrol prices up 25 per cent since March, while food prices have risen by around 25 per cent over five years.
The cost-of-living crisis has become a major political issue ahead of the April-May presidential election. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen has featured prominently in polling, while the government has accused ultra-left groups of inflaming violence to boost the prospects of left-wing leader Jean-Luc Melenchon. Those allegations have been made by the government and are politically contested.
Organisers have asked for another round of demonstrations next Saturday, raising fears of further clashes.
Unrest Spreads Across Europe
France is not the only European country to see public anger over soaring prices and living costs.
In Italy, clashes broke out on the sidelines of a cost-of-living demonstration in Milan.
The city’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, expressed concern over the protests, saying they appeared to be connected to a broader international climate.
Belgian police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse demonstrators in Brussels and Liege over the weekend.
Meanwhile, housing costs have sparked protests in Spain and Portugal with demonstrators forming tent encampments in central Madrid and similar gatherings reported in Lisbon and Porto.
The European Union condemned the violence in France as unacceptable while saying the right to peaceful protest should be protected. Germany also condemned the clashes and updated its travel advice, warning of further demonstrations and outbreaks of violence. China separately urged its citizens travelling to France to take care.
