France imposes curfews in cities after weekend of protests

French authorities set curfews in parts of several cities on Monday, including Paris, Lille and Nice, as they faced pressure over security failings after a weekend of riots and looting stemming ​from nationwide anti-government protests.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu had ruled out a blanket curfew in Paris but not a state of emergency, and had said it was more appropriate for now to ‌apply partial and localized curfews.

"My determination to restore order is absolute," he told reporters.

Paris police said they had issued orders barring protests in certain areas of the French capital from 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) and had issued a curfew around the Place de la Republique and Les Halles from 11 p.m.

Both would remain in effect until 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

"A police deployment is in place to ensure strict compliance with these measures," the police said in a statement.

A source in Lecornu's office said a curfew for minors had been set between ​8 p.m. and 6 a.m. for the next two days in Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain with the agreement of the local mayors.

In Nice, Mayor Eric Ciotti said in a video posted online that he had signed an order imposing a curfew for minors in central Nice overnight.

Marseille banned gatherings and demonstrations.

French unions meanwhile called for a new round of strikes and rallies on ⁠November 5.

The weekend of looting and violence between some protesters and police followed weeks of student demonstrations, rocking France six months ahead of its next presidential election and highlighting pressures from a weak economy and surging debt.

Macron rejects minister's resignation amid security, market concerns Nationwide, more than 2,513 people have been taken into police custody since the weekend, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

He added that 67 had been jailed and "dozens" of criminal cases opened.

After the weekend scenes of chaos, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered his resignation.