France extends curfews; first suspect in Limoges town hall arson detained, interior minister admits loss of control

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Monday asked prefects to impose partial local curfews after a weekend that began with protests against the rising cost of living and ended with a town hall burned down in Limoges, nearly 2,400 people detained, and the interior minister admitting that police had lost control in some major cities. Le Figaro ↗ President Emmanuel Macron rejected the minister’s resignation, and the government blames the far left, although the Paris prosecutor has not confirmed this so far. For Slovak and Czech readers, there are two reasons to pay attention: French bond yields have approached a 20-year high, and further large protests have been announced for Saturday, 24 October. Since then, curfews have been extended after a quiet night, police detained the first suspect in the Limoges town hall arson on Tuesday morning, identified as a far-left activist, and according to Justice Minister Darmanin, 123 people are now in custody. Tagesschau ↗ La Libre ↗ BFM TV ↗ 20 Minutes ↗ La Libre ↗ Le Figaro ↗ Lecornu has summoned party leaders for Thursday, while mayors, trade unions and the left continue to criticise Nuñez. La Libre ↗

Saturday in numbers: half a million people, 3,000 damaged shops

On Saturday, 17 October, more than half a million people marched in France in around 110 demonstrations, according to the Interior Ministry; the CGT trade-union confederation estimated turnout at as many as 800,000. It was the biggest day of protests since they began approximately a month ago. Deník.cz ↗ The protests were against the rising cost of living and fuel prices, and were joined by secondary-school students who have been protesting underfunded schools since mid-September, as well as farmers. Pluska (TASR) ↗ The Irish Times ↗

Most marches were peaceful, but clashes began in Paris in the afternoon at Place de la République, after which smaller crowds vandalised shops and buildings and set fire to cars and rental e-bikes. The Irish Times ↗ In Limoges, the 19th-century town hall was set on fire; most of its historic interior burned, and the roof and tower collapsed, with only the newer part of the building surviving. Deník.cz ↗ In Marseille, masked people stormed the town hall, while in Lyon they looted and set fire to a tourist information centre. The Irish Times ↗

Trade Minister Serge Papin says at least 3,000 shops were damaged or looted. BFM TV ↗ On Sunday evening, the Interior Ministry reported 2,397 people detained and nearly 1,000 injured police officers and gendarmes, seven of them seriously. STVR (TASR, AFP) ↗ Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin later reported 2,331 people detained, more than two-thirds of them adults. Ekonomický deník ↗

Minister admits loss of control, president rejects his resignation

Laurent Nuñez offered the president his resignation on Sunday. The Élysée Palace rejected it, saying that the security forces needed uninterrupted leadership at this time, and asked the minister to be transparent about where planning and intelligence had failed. STVR (TASR, AFP) ↗ On Monday, Nuñez admitted to France Inter that the forces had lost control in some major cities, while Darmanin added that they were well prepared for terrorist or organised-crime threats, but not for protests organised by the far left. Ekonomický deník ↗

Nuñez is being criticised by mayors, trade unions and the right. Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan speaks of the state’s inability to protect his city, the Republican mayor of Limoges of a shortage of police, and Unsa-police unionist Rudy Manna says police were understaffed all day. Right-wing politician Bruno Retailleau blames the government’s weakness. The ministry had expected approximately 200,000 demonstrators, but more than 500,000 were counted, and intelligence services are accused of underestimating the mobilisation. Macron justified rejecting the resignation by citing “failures of foresight and intelligence” and called for police methods to be reviewed; Nuñez promised a review of the public-order doctrine and admitted his own share of responsibility. La Libre ↗ In Marseille, he also promised a “very substantial” police deployment next Saturday if the protests recur. BFM TV ↗

Ecologist Cyrielle Chatelain says Nuñez is “delegitimised in his functions” and speaks of a “bitter failure”; according to La Libre, France Unbowed (LFI) wants to sue him. BFM TV ↗ La Libre ↗

On Sunday evening, Macron promised that looters would pay for the damage and that those who had tried to overthrow the republic would be held accountable. He called on all parties to condemn any violence and suggested that the authorities might ban some gatherings. Aktuality.sk (TASR) ↗

After Monday’s crisis meeting, Lecornu asked prefects to impose partial local curfews starting that evening. After a quiet night, described by the mayor of Denain and Paris residents, the government extended the curfews. Police unionist Grégory Joron of the Unité union called them “clearly quite effective”, while the left called them “a form of collective punishment”. Tagesschau ↗ BFM TV ↗ BFM TV ↗ BFM TV ↗ In Paris, curfews apply from 11 p.m. at Place de la République and in the Les Halles district, while from 8 p.m. demonstrations are banned in some areas, including the Champs-Élysées, Bastille and the station districts. In Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux and Nice, bans apply in some zones between 8 and 10 p.m.; in Lille, Bordeaux and Nice they apply only to minors. On Tuesday, Lecornu wrote on X that prefects, working with mayors, would repeat them wherever the situation required. France 24 ↗ He did not rule out a state of emergency. From Tuesday, the state will fully cover partial unemployment benefits for employees of looted shops and establish a special support fund. Le Figaro ↗ He also announced the start of a massive judicial operation and said that nobody had died, calling it a miracle. BFM TV ↗

On Monday evening, Darmanin said that 2,513 people were in police custody, many still there, and 67 were in pre-trial detention. He asked prosecutors to classify the acts as organised crime, which would extend detention from 48 to 72 hours. On Tuesday morning, the government met representatives of social networks, while an extraordinary meeting of business leaders was held at the Finance Ministry. France 24 ↗ It is also asking sales platforms to remove goods stolen during looting, and Vinted reports an increase in such listings. 7sur7 ↗ La Libre ↗

On Tuesday, Darmanin said that 123 people were in pre-trial detention and that around fifty judicial investigations were open. The first expedited trials took place on Monday, and many ended in immediate imprisonment, even if short-term. According to him, 95% of those arrested for looting or attacks on police were men and 70% were adults. La Libre ↗ Le Figaro ↗

Government speaks of the far left, prosecutor does not confirm it

Lecornu speaks of a far-left movement seeking to create deep disorder in the country, and of an entire unclear grouping that could even call the timetable for the presidential election into question. Le Figaro ↗ Macron spoke of uncontrolled violence by radical far-left groups joined by many criminals. Aktuality.sk (TASR) ↗

On Tuesday morning, police, assisted by the RAID unit, detained the first suspect in the Limoges town hall arson in the Haute-Vienne department. He is listed as a fiché S because of his affiliation with the far left; according to a police source, he has a previous conviction for violence against a person holding public authority. He is being prosecuted for dangerous destruction of property as part of an organised group, and the SDAT counter-terrorism unit has also taken over the investigation. The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office has not yet decided whether to take over the case. Reports disagree on his age (BFM TV says 40, La Libre 34), and Limoges Mayor Guillaume Guérin called him “probably the mastermind” of the operation and expects further arrests. He is the first specific suspect publicly linked by available sources to the far left, but this is a single case outside Paris, which prosecutor Beccuau discussed. La Libre ↗ BFM TV ↗ 20 Minutes ↗ BFM TV ↗

However, according to The Irish Times, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told French media that she could not confirm the perpetrators’ political affiliation in Paris, and that most detainees had neither a public profile nor political demands. The newspaper notes that some initial damage, such as left-wing slogans, was clearly political, but that widespread looting need not be. The Irish Times ↗

The parties draw different conclusions from this. Jean-Luc Mélenchon marched with students, initially blamed the police, and only later condemned the looting. Marine Le Pen presents herself as the candidate of order and accuses the government of losing control. The Irish Times ↗ Raphaël Glucksmann calls for the rioters to be identified and given harsh sentences, saying that the state must emerge from helplessness. BFM TV ↗ Jordan Bardella announced that neither he nor Le Pen would attend Lecornu’s meeting with party leaders; the National Rally will be represented by one of its deputy presidents. Lecornu has summoned the parties to the Matignon on Thursday; on Wednesday morning he will meet trade unions, and the agenda also includes the security of the presidential campaign. He accused LFI of an agenda of “far-left bordélisation”. La Libre ↗ Le Figaro ↗

Police action against students is a separate issue. According to Deník, the prosecution and police oversight body are investigating at least 34 cases of possible misconduct, including an operation in which a 15-year-old boy lost an arm. Deník.cz ↗

US President Donald Trump said of the unrest, “France is burning!”, blamed it on immigration and urged Americans to “close the borders”. JD Vance also blames immigration and accuses the democratic opposition of wanting the same fate for the United States, two weeks before congressional elections. Macron rejected stigmatising immigrants and spoke of “factions from far-left groups joined by many delinquents”, but domestic politicians called his speech “pitiful” and “irresponsible”. La Libre ↗

According to the Dutch Telegraaf, Trump told Macron, “I warned you!”, while Austrian Chancellor Stocker said the violence in France must be a warning for Austria. De Telegraaf ↗ Kleine Zeitung ↗

How foreign newsrooms are reading it

The Dutch De Volkskrant, whose article is summarised by Courrier International, explains why social movements in France so often turn violent. According to American political scientist Jonah D. Levy, politics comes from above, and presidents and prime ministers have long sidelined trade unions, employers and the opposition, leaving the street as the only political weapon alongside the ballot box. The newspaper’s headline sums it up by saying that France is trapped in a vicious circle of helplessness and violence. Courrier International ↗

In a commentary, Berlin’s Tagesspiegel writes that violence is unacceptable, but that the protests in France, Italy and Spain are driven by anger over the loss of a vision of a better future—an anger that is a call to action. Tagesspiegel ↗ The Irish Times adds that young people’s demands vary, ranging from education policy, climate and the impact of artificial intelligence on the labour market to housing costs. According to the paper, the protests in France, Italy and Portugal are not directly connected, although they share common themes; in Milan, a protest against the rising cost of living also turned into riots on Saturday. The Irish Times ↗

Money and politics: bonds at a 20-year high and a budget without a majority

Yields on 10-year French bonds rose to 4.85% on Monday, close to their highest level in more than two decades, HN Online writes, citing Trading Economics. It says the pressure is also being increased by the political deadlock in parliament and the government’s effort to pass a budget before the presidential election. HN Online ↗ The Irish Times adds that French shares fell at Monday’s opening, that the previous government collapsed over the budget last year, and that the presidential election is scheduled for April 2027. The Irish Times ↗

There are two immediate dates on the calendar. The Yellow Vests, whose organisers have not distanced themselves from the violence according to The Irish Times, have announced a second act for Saturday, 24 October, demanding Macron’s resignation, and the delegated minister attached to the interior minister, Jean-Didier Berger, has not ruled out banning Saturday’s demonstrations. The Irish Times ↗ BFM TV ↗ Trade unions have announced a mass demonstration against the budget for 5 November. The Irish Times ↗ Czech diplomats speak of a general strike and advise Czechs in France to avoid all demonstrations. Ekonomický deník ↗

Limits of this view

The figures differ depending on who reports them: the Interior Ministry says 2,397 people were detained, the justice minister 2,331, while the first overnight reports spoke of 1,200, so these are provisional figures. Darmanin’s Tuesday figure of 2,513 counts people in police custody, which is not the same as the Interior Ministry’s Sunday figure for “people detained”, and reports differ on the list of cities with curfews: France 24 names Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice, while La Libre names Paris, Lille, Douai, Nice and Lyon. The figure of 3,000 damaged shops comes from the minister, not an independent count, and an earlier total reported by Deník.cz spoke of approximately 1,500 shops and other institutions. Reports disagree on the Limoges suspect’s age (40 according to BFM TV, 34 according to La Libre); “mastermind” is the mayor’s claim, not an established fact, and the figure of 123 in custody comes from Justice Minister Darmanin on Tuesday. Meanwhile, lawmakers suspended consideration of the 2027 budget bill because no compromise was found. Ouest-France ↗

We read the De Volkskrant and Tagesspiegel articles only indirectly—the first in Courrier International’s summary, the second only to the extent of its freely available section—so we report their arguments only to that extent. The accusation against the far left rests on government statements and one detainee in Limoges; the Paris prosecutor did not confirm the perpetrators’ political affiliation in Paris, so we do not regard it as an established fact explaining the entire wave of violence.

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Illustrative photo: Limoges town hall before the fire. Photo by Aratar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.