Political crisis and violence in France: the latest developments

Here are the latest developments in the political and social crisis and ongoing violence in France, six months before the presidential election.

The national day of mobilization on October 17 against the "high cost of living" saw peaceful demonstrations, and on the sidelines widespread violence that shocked and put pressure on the government, which has been criticized for its law enforcement strategy.

The Prime Minister announces "localized" curfews

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced on Monday at midday that he had asked the prefects to "trigger a number of curfews" on Monday evening which will be "partial" and "localized" in order to protect businesses in particular.

He added, following a meeting of the interministerial crisis cell, that a state of emergency could be established "if it is useful", while warning that the implementation of curfews seemed to him "more appropriate".

He also accused the "ultra-left movement" of wanting to "organize a profound disorder (...) in the country until the presidential election".

Violence: Mayors are furious and demand accountability from the State

One mayor, in Marseille, was forced to call the President of the Republic for police reinforcements. Another, in Limoges, watched as the belfry of his town hall burned. Following the violence of October 17, the mayors of the affected cities are demanding "transparency" and "a political response."

"For the first time, we had the feeling that entire sections of our cities had been left unprotected," wrote the left-wing mayors of Paris, Marseille, and Lyon in an opinion piece published Monday by the daily newspaper Libération. On Sunday, they requested a meeting with the Prime Minister, who agreed in principle but did not set a date for the meeting.

The government is demanding the removal of online resale ads

The French government is meeting with several online platforms on Monday to demand the removal of advertisements for the resale of items from looted shops, said the Minister Delegate for Digital Affairs, Anne Le Hénanff, on X.

"Items stolen this weekend" across France "are being offered for sale on certain platforms," the minister said, adding that she expected the advertisements in question to be removed "without delay."

A fund for destroyed public facilities

The government will set up an exceptional fund to help communities rebuild public facilities destroyed during the weekend's violence, announced the Minister for Territorial Communities, Françoise Gatel, on Monday.

Student organizations promise to remain mobilized

The main student organizations promised on Monday to remain mobilized, denouncing a government "out of touch" the day after Emmanuel Macron's speech, without communicating at this stage a particular date.

Several campuses were still closed on Monday, including some at the University of Lille, Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and Paris 8 University, among others, the universities announced on social media.

Presidential election: the National Rally seeks to capitalize on the image of the party of order

The National Rally (RN) denounces the "impotence" of the government and accuses La France insoumise (radical left) of wanting to provoke "a civil war": after the violence committed on the sidelines of the mobilization of January 17, the far-right party is positioning itself as the party of order with the hope of broadening its electorate in view of the presidential election of 2027.

Attal: the government must "take stock of the trauma experienced by the French people"

After "the authority of the State failed" this weekend, the government must "take stock of the trauma of the French" and "go much further" in its response to the violence surrounding the demonstrations, former Macronist Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told AFP on Monday.

Chinese travelers to France urged to "strengthen their security measures"

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in France have called on Chinese citizens in France to "increase their vigilance against risks, closely monitor the local situation, strengthen security measures and avoid areas of demonstrations", according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Violence in France: Trump and other leaders blame immigration

Faced with the violence that has engulfed France, several international leaders, Donald Trump chief among them, have fanned the flames by blaming "immigration", contrary to a majority of French politicians and experts who point the finger at the ultra-left and the growing polarization of society.

"France is burning! Immigration from people from a completely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has broken this once great country," the White House occupant declared on Sunday: "Close your borders and take back control, before it's too late!"

The Hungarian Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, and the leader of the Spanish far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, have also blamed immigration.

Macron on tour in the Gulf

After the weekend of violence that shocked France and jeopardized the end of an already chaotic five-year term, President Emmanuel Macron began a three-day tour of the Gulf on Monday to secure fuel volumes to lower prices at the pump.

A few hours after attempting to regain control of the domestic situation in an address to the French people, Mr. Macron traveled to Kuwait, before visiting the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar by Wednesday.

The EU says the right to peaceful protest "must be protected" and condemns the looting in France

The European Union (EU) on Monday called on France to "protect" the right to demonstrate peacefully, while describing the looting and fires that took place over the weekend as "unacceptable".

"People who demonstrate peacefully should not be equated with those who commit acts of violence," stressed a spokesperson for the Commission, Markus Lammert.

Violence: Nuñez rules out any questioning of the holding of upcoming football matches

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez ruled out on Monday any questioning of the holding of upcoming football matches in France.

"The question does not arise for the (Tuesday) evening match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona Football Club" in Paris "and for other matches that may take place in the European Cup", notably "in Lille".

Businesses: at least 3,000 affected, the government announces aid

The government announced on Monday that "at least 3,000 businesses" had been affected by damage or looting this weekend, that they could benefit from partial unemployment measures from Tuesday and that a "specific support fund" would be launched.

"There is no question of social disruption in this matter," declared Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.

The Yellow Vest movement announces a "second act" on Saturday, October 24th.

The yellow vest coordination group behind the October 17 protests against "the high cost of living" announced Monday morning an "Act II" with new actions planned for Saturday, October 24, as well as for October 31.

On the website 17octobregiletjaune.net , this coordination has posted a map of the mobilizations planned for October 24th with several dozen actions already scheduled.

AFP