France imposes curfews due to riots, looting

International

OVERNIGHT curfews have been imposed in parts of central Paris and other cities after a weekend of riots and looting across the country.

Curfews will be enforced in Place de la République, where protesters had gathered over the weekend, and the Les Halles shopping area, a report by BBC said.

Authorities are also imposing a ban on unauthorised gatherings in several other parts of the city centre.

Partial curfews variously restricting the movement of young people and gatherings were announced for cities including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Lyon in the south as well as Lille and other towns in the north.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez earlier admitted that police had "lost control" in some cities.

Nuñez was heavily criticised by opposition politicians over the preparedness for the disorder. His resignation was rejected by President Emmanuel Macron.

The protests began last month with students demanding better school conditions. Gatherings escalated with numbers at demonstrations this weekend bolstered by trade unions and various protest groups.

More than 2,500 people have been arrested, officials said.

After a crisis meeting on Monday, the prime minister said local mayors were being given the power to implement curfews "where they need", without specifying which cities where they would be enforced.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu did not rule out imposing a state of emergency in the country. He said the government would also set aside money to help affected areas recover from the damage, and the funding would be recovered from those behind the violence.(MyTVCebu)