PARIS: French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has asked regional authorities to impose partial curfews in some cities on Monday evening after two days of “violent” protests and unrest in which town halls were burned, and hundreds of businesses were looted.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez earlier admitted that police had “lost control” of the protests in several cities, while the Yellow Vest movement called for a new round of protests on Saturday.
NEW: French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu:
We have chaos, to put it crudely — forgive the expression — that is very localized in urban centers.
I have asked the prefects to introduce a number of curfews for tonight. Partial curfews.
One of the objectives of these curfews is to protect people, but also property, particularly businesses.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 19, 2026
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron rejected the resignation of Interior Minister Nunez following widespread violence and looting across the country during last weekend’s protests, according to broadcaster BFMTV.
Nunez submitted his resignation to Macron a day earlier amid mounting criticism over the authorities’ handling of the unrest.
“I am the minister of the interior, I am responsible for everything that happens on the ground,” he told France Inter radio, explaining his decision to resign.
Nunez acknowledged a “loss of control” by police in some cities and admitted there had been a “lack of anticipation” in deploying available security forces.
However, the president decided to keep him in office, citing the need for continuity in the command of security forces during the current crisis, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace.
Macron also called for greater transparency over “failures in anticipation and intelligence” that contributed to the scale of the violence.
The unrest, which erupted during demonstrations on Saturday, left nearly 1,000 law enforcement officers injured and resulted in approximately 2,400 arrests, according to official figures.
The government’s response has faced criticism from several local leaders, including the mayors of Paris, Marseille and Limoges.
Nunez is expected to visit Marseille, one of the cities hardest hit by the violence, where authorities reported that up to 30,000 people were involved in looting on Saturday.
Students block access to Louvre Museum in support of high school protests
Students blocked access to the Louvre Museum in Paris on Monday in support of ongoing high school protests and to denounce police repression, the French media reported.
The blockade prevented the museum from opening at its usual time of 9 am, according to management and unions cited by the daily Le Parisien.
Students from the École du Louvre led the action, while the CFDT trade union said students from the National School of Fine Arts also participated.
Museum management said the protest had no direct connection to the Louvre itself, describing the museum as being used “as an echo chamber.”
The CGT trade union, which supported the action without participating, said the museum would remain closed at least until noon.
Protesters placed the blockade within a broader struggle for the right to study, work and live freely in decent conditions.
The action follows a high school protest movement that began in mid-September. It also comes two days after nationwide demonstrations against the high cost of living that were marred by unrest in several French cities.
The Ecole du Louvre, located within the museum grounds, offers higher education courses in subjects including art history, archaeology, anthropology and museology.
