France imposes curfews after most destructive riots in decades

France is cracking down after antigovernment demonstrations in cities and towns turned into the most destructive riots in decades, with rioting and looting on Saturday causing damage nationwide, according to The New York Times. The weekend protests were over living costs and poor school conditions.

On Monday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he had ordered localised curfews for that night, a sign that the French state was trying to reassert control after the widespread chaos. He said a map of the restricted areas would be made public by Monday night. Local officials later announced curfews in parts of several cities, including Paris, Nice and Lille.

The move came amid an escalating political blame game. Lecornu blamed the far left for the unrest, saying police had done a good job against a “shadowy network” of instigators who he said were seeking to orchestrate “a profound disorder” in France before presidential elections in April.

The main far-left party has repeatedly blamed his government for the discontent. French citizens are caught in the middle of the finger-pointing as they try to carry on with daily life in cities littered with broken glass and the charred skeletons of burned cars.