France imposes local curfews in Paris, Lyon, Nice and Lille area; Macron rejects interior minister's resignation

French authorities imposed overnight curfews in parts of Paris, Lyon, Nice, Lille and several smaller towns on Monday, October 19, after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu asked local officials for "partial" and "localised" measures following the weekend's riots, Al Jazeera and the German agency DPA, via Yahoo News, report. President Emmanuel Macron refused the resignation offered by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. Lecornu said on Tuesday that the curfews had helped produce a quiet night.

Where the curfews applied

• Paris: police barred people from entering or staying around Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping district from 11 p.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday, and banned gatherings and demonstrations from 8 p.m., DPA and Al Jazeera report.
• Lyon and Nice: curfews from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., according to CBS News, citing the BBC and Nice's mayor. DPA says Lyon allowed people out overnight only for approved reasons.
• Lille area: curfews for minors in Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain, DPA reports; Al Jazeera says Lille and three nearby communes set curfews for Monday and Tuesday nights.
• Elsewhere: Al Jazeera adds Coulaines. Marseille banned public gatherings for most of Monday, NBC News reports.

Lecornu ruled out a curfew for all of Paris. He said a state of emergency could be declared if needed but that partial curfews were more appropriate for now, according to Reuters as cited by Al Jazeera. He described the disorder as limited to city centres and geographically uneven, and pointed to an organised pattern of looting and resale of stolen goods, DPA reports. Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff summoned representatives of resale platforms including Vinted and eBay and asked them to remove listings of stolen items, AFP reports via Dawn.

Nuñez offers to resign

Nuñez acknowledged that the deployment of 60,000 police and gendarmes on Saturday had not anticipated the crowds and said authorities had lost control in some cities, France 24 reports. He offered to resign, saying he felt responsible for what had happened. Macron declined, saying the police chain of command needed continuity, and asked Nuñez to identify the failures in foresight and intelligence and to bring in new methods against rioters quickly, according to DPA and Al Jazeera.

Macron's address

In a televised address on Sunday, Macron said the country felt anger and shame, distinguished protesters with legitimate demands from those who destroyed and looted, and promised a crisis unit to help those affected, Al Jazeera reports. NBC News says he blamed troublemakers from far-left fringe groups and stopped short of a state of emergency, which some politicians on the right had demanded. He left on Monday for a Gulf tour to secure oil supplies, a trip NBC says drew criticism.

Courts and investigations

Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said 2,513 people had been taken into custody and 67 jailed, and that facial recognition would be used on social media footage to identify suspects, according to AFP. Mayors of France's largest cities asked the government to explain what they called a lack of preparation, Al Jazeera reports.

Monday night and after

Lecornu said targeted curfews contributed to a quiet night and that further curfews on Tuesday would be decided on the ground by prefects and mayors, according to a BBC report carried by Yahoo News. The Louvre stayed closed on Monday after students blocked its entrance, DPA reports. The Yellow Vest movement has called a second round of protests for Saturday, October 24, and unions have called strikes and rallies for November 5, according to DPA and Reuters as cited by The Sunday Guardian.