France launches judicial operation, localized curfews after violent unrest

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Monday announced a "large-scale judicial operation" to hold accountable those involved in recent violence, as the government moved to restore order after nationwide protests over the weekend spiraled into some of the worst street unrest the country has seen in years.

Speaking after an interministerial crisis meeting, Lecornu said he had asked prefects to impose "very limited" and "localized" curfews from Monday evening, noting that the unrest was concentrated in city centers and that the measures would be tailored to local conditions.

"These curfews must be local and partial. It is out of the question to put all of Paris under curfew," he told reporters.

Lecornu said he was "fully resolved to restoring public order," adding that if declaring a state of emergency was deemed necessary, "we could do so," though partial curfews seemed "more appropriate" at this stage. Defending the police response, he said that "on Saturday, despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle."

In Marseille, France's second-largest city, local authorities banned all public gatherings and demonstrations from noon to 8 p.m. on Monday.

Police 'lost control,' interior minister admits

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez on Monday acknowledged that police lost control of the situation in some areas during the weekend violence, conceding a "lack of anticipation" in the deployment of security forces.

"You can't look shopkeepers in the eye when hundreds of businesses have been looted and say we haven't lost control in some of these major cities. Obviously," Nunez said in an interview with French media.

Nunez offered his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, but the president refused it. "Given the necessity for continued leadership of law enforcement at this time, the president refused," the Élysée palace said in a statement, adding that Macron had asked Nunez to "take all necessary steps to ensure transparency over the failures in planning and intelligence that led to the violence" and to swiftly put in place "new operational methods for security forces" on the ground.

"I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that is happening," Nunez told France Inter radio.

In a televised address on Sunday evening, Macron condemned what he called "unbridled" violence during the protests, urging the public not to conflate the expression of legitimate demands with violence and vowing legal action against offenders.

"Those who destroyed must pay. Those who looted must reimburse," he said, expressing solidarity with law enforcement officers, elected officials and shopkeepers affected by the unrest.

Macron said the government response had exposed shortcomings in "intelligence and anticipation," and ordered a review to ensure such incidents "cannot happen again."

In his address, Macron acknowledged that the protests reflected public concern over living costs and fuel prices, and announced he would travel to the Gulf states to help secure France's energy supply. He arrived in Kuwait on Monday, where he was welcomed by the Emir, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and will also visit the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar by Wednesday.

Protests and demonstrations took place across France on Saturday against the rising cost of living and fuel prices. According to the Interior Ministry, about 550,000 people took part nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris, while the CGT, one of France's largest and most historic national trade union centers, put the figure at 800,000.

A total of 2,397 people were arrested, and 997 police officers and gendarmes were injured, seven of them seriously, the ministry said.

(With input from agencies)