France’s prime minister calls for localized curfews in cities to curb rioting and looting

PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu says he has instructed prefects, the government’s regional representatives, to impose “very limited” and “localized” curfews to prevent more rioting and looting, following weekend violence that targeted city halls, other public buildings and thousands of businesses across the country.

Speaking after an emergency meeting with top government officials, Lecornu said “on Saturday, despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle” as he defended the work of police officers faced with violent groups of people.

Lecornu said details of the areas to be placed under curfew will be provided later Monday.

The instructions come as 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 violent events.

On Sunday evening, groups set fires to trash bins, bicycles and other objects in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities. That followed major 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 the weekend violence.

In Marseille, the prefect banned any protest or other gathering 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 mobilization that is unfolding.”

Nuñez blamed violence on “hordes of troublemakers and looters” and “far-left activists,” and said police strategy needs to be adapted “in the face of extremely mobile groups.” Authorities said groups of hundreds of people sought confrontations with police and targeted public buildings, including city halls and other public offices.

Nuñez acknowledged that authorities had “lost control” in some major cities Saturday, when hundreds of businesses were looted.

“You can’t look shopkeepers in the eye when hundreds of businesses have been looted and say we haven’t lost control in some of these major cities,” Nuñez said.

Flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall in Limoges, in central France, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building.

In Paris Monday, cleanup crews and firefighters cleared shattered glass and other debris from the streets.

Ouri Zagoury, owner of a video game shop near Paris’ Place de la République, said he closed the store Saturday afternoon but then saw looters forcing their way in on surveillance cameras.

“There were so many people coming in and out. And even though I called the police, they said not to intervene, that they would come, but they never did, which is another problem,” Zagoury said.

Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally, pointed to the government’s failure to prevent violence. “The government has failed, the head of state has failed in his essential duty of protecting the French people,” he told reporters at party headquarters.

“I call on the people of France now, beyond their right to protest, to use their voting power,” Bardella said. He is campaigning alongside far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose polling numbers have for months suggested she is the front-runner in next spring’s presidential election.

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AP journalists Tom Nouvian, Oleg Cetinic, Nicolas Garriga in Paris and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

Sylvie Corbet, The Associated Press