Night traffic restrictions also apply in Nice, Lyon, Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain. The coordination of the Yellow Vests of the October 17 mobilization has announced a "second act" of the protest for next Saturday. President Macron calls on the government to "take all necessary measures to ensure transparency regarding the gaps in planning and intelligence that led to the violence" during the demonstrations. And he accuses the radical left of inciting the protests
After the violence, looting and devastation this weekend during the demonstrations against the high cost of living and for better schools, a curfew has been imposed in several cities including Paris from 11pm this evening until 6am tomorrow morning: the measure concerns in particular the Place de la République and the streets that allow access to the des Halles district from the south. The last weekend was one of the hottest: there were 2,331 police stops. "70% concern adults, very often already known to the police", of which "over 80%" are the subject of judicial proceedings", said Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin. The gravity of the situation pushed Interior Minister Nunez to resign: he admitted that the police had "lost control" in some cities, speaking of a "lack of foresight" in the preparations. President Macron, however, has refused his resignation. Meanwhile, the coordination of the Yellow Vests of the October 17 mobilization has announced a "second act" of the protest for next Saturday.
The curfews
In Nice, the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes has established a curfew for minors in the centre, in force from 2am tonight until 6am tomorrow morning. The areas affected, ranging from the city center to Vieux-Nice (the old part of Nice) and from rue Trachel to Gare du Sud, are those found to be "most affected" by the incidents and looting that occurred over the weekend. The French government has also announced curfews for the cities of Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain.
Access to the Louvre blocked
In Paris, around fifty students blocked access to the Louvre this morning, October 19th. The students attend the École du Louvre, an art school with no direct connection to the museum, and organized the protest to show solidarity with the high school students who have been taking to the streets for weeks.
Macron: "Gaps in intelligence"
Macron asked Nunez to "adopt all necessary measures to ensure transparency regarding the gaps in planning and intelligence that led to the violence" during the street demonstrations and to "introduce new operational methods for the security forces" in order to manage the crisis, putting an end to the phenomena of barricades and looting.
Nunez: "Security forces deployed were insufficient"
During Saturday's protests, Nunez said, "you couldn't look the shopkeepers in the eye after hundreds of stores were looted and tell them we hadn't lost control." There would be "over 2000" commercial activities directly affected, says the president of the French Confcommercio (Cci France), Alain Di Crescenzo, evoking damage amounting to "hundreds of millions of euros" on Radio RTL. The minister acknowledged a "lack of foresight" in the deployment of security forces: the number was insufficient to handle the large crowds of rioters and looters on the fringes of the demonstrations. He estimated that about 60,000 law enforcement officers were deployed across the country that day.
Nunez in Marseille, ban on demonstrating
Nunez was in Marseille today, where, according to the authorities, 30 thousand looters devastated several shops on Saturday 17 October. The city's prefecture had decreed a ban on any type of demonstration. "Prohibition of any gathering and demonstration on the entire municipal territory, from 12pm to 8pm today, Monday 19 October 2026", reads a message published on X by the Préfète de police déléguée des Bouches-du-Rhône.
The political clash
Macron attributes responsibility for the unrest not to all the demonstrators, but to "troublemakers belonging to a small far-left group, flanked by numerous criminals" and announced a crackdown: the prefects will be able to decide on measures to protect the cities, "up to banning some demonstrations". A message implicitly addressed to Jean-Luc Mélenchon's France Insoumise (LFI), the radical left party accused of inciting the protests. "All those who today claim that the urgency is to take to the streets have only one objective: to steal the political debate", says Macron. Mélenchon in turn accused Macron of aiming to "wear down" the situation. "We do not direct the popular movement. It directs itself through its unions and its assemblies. For three weeks, the deputies and elected representatives of LFI have intervened in the face of police violence. This is our role", he assures.
