Overview
- Protests over rising living costs and fuel prices on Oct. 17 escalated into widespread clashes, arson and looting, with government tallies citing more than 2,500 arrests, nearly 1,000 police injured and about 3,000 shops damaged or looted.
- On Oct. 19 Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu instructed prefects to impose targeted curfews on specific territories and to coordinate boundaries with mayors and business groups.
- The Prefecture of Police in Paris announced a curfew for parts of the city covering Place de la République and part of Les Halles from 23:00 to 06:00 and banned demonstrations in a broader zone from 20:00 to 06:00.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said authorities will boost numbers of police and gendarmes on the ground to contain rioters and looters and enforce the new local restrictions.
- The European Commission called for protection of peaceful protests while condemning violence and French regulators including Arcom will monitor online calls to violence as the government keeps the option of a national state of emergency under consideration.