French cities calm under curfews as protest groups plan fresh demonstrations

Paris, France. French cities experienced a quiet night under curfews introduced following last weekend’s disorder, giving the government a respite after weeks of protests. Protest groups nevertheless announced further demonstrations for next Saturday.

Government defends security response

The government is seeking to convince the public that it has drawn lessons from failures in security arrangements during a weekend of exceptional violence. Those shortcomings left central areas of Paris, Marseille and Lyon largely without protection against rioting and looting after demonstrations.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu credited the targeted curfews with helping restore overnight calm in a post on X. He said their use could be expanded wherever conditions made that necessary.

Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin told CNews television that 123 people detained over the weekend were being held pending trial. During another television appearance on Monday evening, he said approximately 2,500 people were still being held for questioning.

The overnight lull offered some relief to the government, police and public authorities, which have been worn down by weeks of demonstrations. Further protests on Saturday will present another challenge.

Education protests broaden into wider grievances

Strikes and demonstrations by high-school pupils over deteriorating educational standards and increasingly dilapidated facilities have developed into nationwide expressions of anger. The grievances now encompass higher prices and a feeling that healthcare, housing and welfare needs are going unmet.

The unrest has also heightened an already tense political climate, with far-right and far-left candidates ahead in the contest for the presidency, with voting scheduled for next April and May.

In a leaflet shared through social media, UNEF, France’s principal student union, said it would continue its campaign. It pledged sustained pressure on President Emmanuel Macron and his government to repair an education system that students and pupils consider dysfunctional and inadequately funded.

Yellow vest groups call for fuel protests

Separately, groups describing themselves as gilets jaunes, or yellow vests, called for dispersed protest actions over rapidly increasing fuel costs.

The yellow vest movement has been largely quiet in recent years. It emerged in 2018, during Macron’s first presidential term, in opposition to proposed increases in petrol taxation. For months, it staged weekly road blockades, accompanied by episodes of street violence.