The French government has imposed partial curfews in Paris and several other cities after anti-government protests and riots. Widespread rioting and looting broke out across France over the weekend in protest at the rising cost of living. The authorities took the step on Monday amid accusations of security failures in controlling the situation, the Reuters news agency reported.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu ruled out a full nationwide curfew but said partial local curfews made more sense. He told reporters he was determined to restore law and order. Paris police have banned protests in certain areas from 8pm.
A trade and retail federation said about 3,000 shops were damaged over the weekend. In central Paris, showrooms of luxury brands such as Dior, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Gucci were vandalised and looted. Junior minister for digital affairs Anne Le Henanff ordered swift action to stop looted goods being sold online.
The interior ministry said about 2,400 people were arrested during Saturday’s protests. Nearly 1,000 police officers were injured and one protester died of cardiac arrest. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered to resign, taking responsibility for the security failures, but President Emmanuel Macron refused.
He told him to bring the situation back to normal quickly. The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon complained that they felt their cities were completely unprotected.
There have also been protests against the rising cost of living in Italy, Belgium and Albania. Several European countries have told their citizens to take care when travelling to France. Meanwhile, as France works to recover from the riots, President Macron has arrived in Kuwait on a Gulf tour aimed at securing energy supplies and bringing prices down.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report