France’s worst unrest in years is spilling beyond its borders. Buoyed by the protests in France, crowds have also taken to the streets in Italy and Albania, where similar anger over living conditions has led to clashes, even as overnight curfews brought a fragile calm to French cities.
The French government said the targeted curfews helped bring respite ahead of more protests planned for the weekend. “The targeted curfews have contributed to the calm of last night,” Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a post on X, adding they may be extended further into the week where needed, according to reports.
Cities under watch
In central Paris, police emptied and guarded the Place de la Republique overnight, with a helicopter overhead. In Lille, where the curfew applied only to minors, officers patrolled the city centre checking identities. Marseille’s mayor said curfews for minors around the hardest-hit commercial areas would start Tuesday night, according to reports.
The government tried to reassure the public it had learned from security shortcomings that left city centres largely unprotected from rioters and looters. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said 149 people held at the weekend were in detention awaiting trial, with around 2,500 remaining in custody for questioning, according to reports.
Markets feel the strain
French bond yields climbed further as investors weighed the political and fiscal cost of the unrest. High-school pupil strikes over falling standards have converged with broader anger at rising prices and the sense that health, housing and welfare needs are no longer being met, according to reports. The spread of copycat protests to Italy and Albania raises the stakes for European leaders already facing cost-of-living pressures, and puts France’s response under scrutiny across the continent. With weekend demonstrations looming, the coming days will test whether curfews alone can hold the line.
