Sébastien Lecornu seeks partial curfews after violent protests

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said today he has asked local authorities to impose partial, localized curfews this evening after a weekend of violent demonstrations that shook the country.

Government weighs local curfews while avoiding a full Paris lockdown

Speaking to reporters, Lecornu said he was "fully determined to restore public order." He added that if necessary the government could declare a state of emergency: "we can do that too," but that at this stage a partial curfew seemed "more appropriate."

The prime minister did not specify which cities would be subject to the curfews or what precise form the measure would take, and ruled out a blanket curfew across the whole of Paris: "This curfew must be local and partial in character. It is out of the question to put all of Paris under a curfew," he clarified.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who spoke at the same press event, said there are no plans to cancel the Paris Saint-Germain versus Barcelona match scheduled for tomorrow evening.

Mayors from France's largest cities demanded answers from the government today, citing what they described as inadequate preparedness by security forces as the country begins to recover from the weekend's unrest and vandalism.

The protests follow weeks of student demonstrations, punctuated by episodes of street violence, and are unfolding roughly six months before the presidential election. Tensions have also been fueled by economic weakness and rising public debt, increasing pressure on authorities.

Photo: press material from the event