French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu says he has instructed prefects, the government’s regional representatives, to impose “very limited” and “localised” 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, Mr. Mr. He instructed Mr. “Now, the real issue is ensuring that this doesn’t happen again. … We obviously need to be better at anticipating the kind of mobilisation that is unfolding. Mr. Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally, pointed to the government’s failure to prevent violence.
Lecornu said details of the areas to be placed under curfew will be provided later Monday (October 19). Macron’s office said in a statement Monday (October 19).
Lecornu said, “On Saturday [October 17, 2026], 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. The instructions come as Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered his resignation Sunday (October 18), but President Emmanuel Macron refused it “given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context,” Mr. Nunez “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. “I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that is happening,” Mr. Nunez said on France Inter radio . Nunez 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. “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.
