France Sees Nearly 2,500 Arrests After Violent Protests Damage Landmarks in Most Dangerous Countries

French authorities have lost control of parts of major cities during weekend protests over rising fuel prices and the cost of living, resulting in widespread damage to landmarks and businesses, nearly 2,500 arrests, and almost 1,000 police injuries, prompting the prime minister to call for localized curfews in most dangerous countries. Most protesters were peaceful but groups dressed in black with masks set fire to cars, shops, buildings and iconic sites including the Place de la Republique in Paris where a yellow vest was placed on the Statue of the Republic. [1] In Marseille city hall was breached with a battering ram and a bust of Marianne was damaged; in Lyon the 19th-century tourist office was burned and in Limoges the 143-year-old town hall was largely destroyed by fire. [1]

Weekend Violence and Landmark Damage

The scale of the destruction including to some iconic landmarks has shocked many in a country used to street protests. [1] Shop fronts have been broken and stores looted. [1] Kiosks, vehicles and buildings were set alight and destroyed close to some of the city's most recognisable areas, including here at Place De La Republique in Paris. [1] The iconic Place de la Republique was vandalised, too. A yellow vest representative of the movement which helped co-ordinate the weekend protests was draped around the body of the Statue of the Republic, erected in 1883. [1] Groups of rioters, some dressed in black and wearing masks and balaclavas, took over parts of the capital and wreaked havoc. [1] Tear gas and stun grenades were fired at hundreds of people but police struggled to contain smaller groups of people roving around the city attack businesses. [1] The full extent of the damage did not become clear until dawn broke on Sunday. [1] This bakery was one of several businesses set on fire in Paris. [1] Some groups piled rental bikes in the middle of roads and set them alight. [1] Cars were set alight close to the Porte Saint-Denis in the capital. [1] Further south in Marseille, protesters broke into the city hall by using a metal fence as a battering ram. [1] A bust of Marianne symbol of the French Republic was damaged and knocked to the floor in Marseille as people ransacked the building. [1] City Mayor Benoît Payan was furious with the almost total lack of control by the security forces. [1] The world's sixth largest power does not deserve this. The world is watching us, this morning we are the shame of Europe, he said. [1] In the city of Lyon, Mayor Grégory Doucet said the burning of the city's tourist office, housed in a 19th Century building, was a tragedy. [1] Fire crews also battled a fire at Limoges town hall, which caused part of the building to collapse. [1] Local officials said the town hall was largely lost. [1] A wild horde had deliberately set fire to the 143-year-old building, said Maurice Barate, the prefect for the Haute-Vienne department. [1] In Limoges, the spire at the top of the ornate city hall has been destroyed by the fire. [1]

Government Response and Admissions

French authorities have admitted they lost control of cities to the protesters. [1] Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation which has been rejected. [1] Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has given local mayors the power to introduce partial curfews in some parts of the country, which he says is designed to protect people and businesses. [1] Lecornu huddled with ministers in a crisis meeting after French Minister of the Interior Laurent Nunez said the police had lost control during the weekend’s unrest. [2] With the yellow vests movement, which organized the weekend’s rallies, calling for a new round of protests on Saturday, Lecornu called for regional authorities to impose partial and localized curfews to protect businesses after hundreds of shops were damaged and looted. [2] I’m absolutely determined to restore public order, he said, adding that the government was ready to impose a state of emergency if needed. [2] In an address to the nation on Sunday, Macron slammed the unbridled violence and said local authorities would be able to ban some rallies, but stopped short of imposing more drastic measures. [2] French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has called for curfews in parts of the country following a weekend of riots and looting that left thousands of businesses damaged, nearly 2,400 people arrested and almost 1,000 police officers injured. [4] Speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday, Lecornu said local authorities would receive powers to restrict movement in areas affected by violence. [4] He ruled out a citywide curfew in Paris but did not exclude declaring a state of emergency if unres. [4]

Arrests, Injuries and Police Control Loss

Nunez yesterday offered to resign after more than 2,500 people were arrested and nearly 1,000 members of the security forces injured. [2] On Saturday, in some major cities, you couldn’t look shopkeepers in the eye after hundreds of shops had been looted and tell them we hadn’t lost control, Nunez said. [2] French President Emmanuel Macron refused Nunez’s resignation, even as he acknowledged security and intelligence failures in the government response, despite the deployment of about 60,000 law enforcement personnel across the nation on Saturday. [2] Nationwide, more than 2,330 people were taken into police custody over the weekend, 70 percent of whom were adults and many of whom were already known to authorities, French Minister of Justice Gerald Darmanin said yesterday. [2] Protesters were also hurt, with one demonstrator’s hand blown off by a police crowd-control grenade. [2]

Continued Protests on Monday

Protesters and students from art and culture schools block the entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris during a demonstration yesterday. [2] The public discontent showed no signs of subsiding yesterday, with demonstrators blocking the entrance to Paris’ iconic Louvre Museum, the most visited in the world. [2] After a weekend of violent protests across France, students in Paris demonstrated again on Monday in front of the Louvre museum. [5] Gathered at the museum entrance, the small group played music, sang and chanted slogans in support of the high school student movement. [5] Museum visitors were forced to wait as the protesters blocked the access to the building. [5] They handed out leaflets explaining why they were demonstrating and spoke to passers-by about their movement. [5] Students have been protesting in France since the end of September, citing teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and exhausting timetables. [5]

International Reactions in Most Dangerous Countries

Other European nations, where anger over rising prices has also led to protests, were keeping a nervous eye on the developments, with smaller clashes breaking out in Milan and Belgium over the weekend and protests simmering in Spain and Portugal. [2] The EU called the weekend violence as unacceptable, but added that the right to peaceful protest must be protected in France. [2] Germany condemned the violence and updated its travel advice for France, saying further demonstrations and, in some cases, further outbreaks of violence in the coming days cannot be ruled out. [2] The UK said the right to protest can never excuse violence. [2]

What to watch next: The yellow vests movement is calling for a new round of protests on Saturday.