French government extends curfew after riots sweep the country

French authorities extend curfews and increase police presence in public spaces under President Emmanuel Macron’s government try to regain control after rioters burned buildings and looted thousands of businesses over the weekend.

But tackling the issues that have brought students and workers in the streets for the final five weeks, that will be a more difficult proposition.

Protesters are demanding better schools and relief from the rising cost of living, while the government faces mounting debt and a fractured parliament that makes even passing a budget difficult.

No more police and curfews

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promised Tuesday a “massive” deployment of police before the next demonstrations planned for October 24. The announcement follows Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s acknowledgment that authorities had underestimated the unrest and lost control in some cities during Saturday’s protests.

More than 2,500 people had been taken in police custody Monday evening, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said, after violence that included burning down a historic town hall in Limoges, a city in central France.

Nighttime curfews were imposed around Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping district in Paris, with restrictions also introduced in Lyon and other cities. Paris and Lyon reported no major incidents Monday evening and the authorities are extending the measures.

In a speech on Sunday, Macron distinguished between peaceful protests for better schools and working conditions and rioters who he said hijacked those protests, saying the government would listen to protesters’ demands and punish the rioters. He blamed the violence on “radical, far-left groups” and “criminals” and said “those who sought to overthrow the republic will be held accountable.”

Political impasse and financial pressure

The protests began in mid-September when high school students and teachers in the Paris suburbs called for change in the face of overcrowded classes, deteriorating buildings and a shortage of teachers. They have since attracted unions and activists from the Yellow Vests, a French labor group, becoming a broader movement against the high cost of living and the decline of public services.

The government offered some concessions. On October 8, the Ministry of National Education announced its intention to deploy more than 3,000 substitute teachers to high schools that need them most, and authorized several hundred additional hires.

But deepening financial pressure and political gridlock are making more comprehensive changes more difficult. France’s public debt stood at nearly 3,600 billion euros at the end of June, or 119% of its annual economic output, according to the national statistics agency.

The government this year expects the deficit to reach 5.4% of economic output and is trying to reduce it to 5% in 2027. Interest payments alone are expected to rise by 12 billion euros next year, to 91.2 billion euros, further straining the funds available for public services.

Macron’s allies also do not have a majority in the French Parliament. This year’s budget was only passed in February, after the government passed it without a final vote on the bill, which survived two no-confidence motions.

An Ipsos poll carried out on October 7 and 8 puts Macron’s popularity rating at just 15%. A September Ipsos poll indicates Marine Le Pen, leader of the far right The National Rally party, well in the lead, with 33 to 35% support during the various matches of the first round. Former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far-left La France Insoumise party, were among the candidates for second place.

In April, France will hold presidential elections to choose a successor to Macron, who cannot run for a third term.