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French PM calls for 'partial curfews' in cities hit by riots and looting

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has asked regional authorities to impose "partial curfews" in some cities on Monday evening as France reels from two days of unrest that saw town halls burned down and hundreds of businesses looted. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez earlier admitted that police had "lost control" of the protests in several cities, while the Yellow Vest movement called for a new round of protests on Saturday. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron rejected the resignation of Interior Minister Nunez following widespread violence and looting across the country during last weekend's protests, according to broadcaster BFMTV. Nunez submitted his resignation to Macron a day earlier amid mounting criticism over the authorities' handling of the unrest. "I am the minister of the interior, I am responsible for everything that happens on the ground," he told France Inter radio, explaining his decision to resign. Nunez a...
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Macron rejects interior minister's resignation after France-wide riots

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday rejected the resignation of Interior Minister Laurent Nunez following widespread violence and looting across the country during last weekend's protests, according to broadcaster BFMTV. Nunez submitted his resignation to Macron a day earlier amid mounting criticism over the authorities' handling of the unrest. "I am the minister of the interior, I am responsible for everything that happens on the ground," he told France Inter radio, explaining his decision to resign. Nunez acknowledged a "loss of control" by police in some cities and admitted there had been a "lack of anticipation" in deploying available security forces. However, the president decided to keep him in office, citing the need for continuity in the command of security forces during the current crisis, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace. Macron also called for greater transparency over what he described as "failures in anticipation and intelligence" that contributed to the scale of the violence. The unrest, which erupted during demonstrations on Saturday, left nearly 1,000 law enforcement officers injured and resulted in approximately 2,400 arrests, according to official figures. Read More: Student protests spread across France, Belgium The government's response has faced criticism from several local leaders, including the mayors of Paris, Marseille and Limoges. Nunez is expected to visit Marseille, one of the cities hardest hit by the violence, where authorities reported that up to 30,000 people were involved in looting on Saturday. Macron vows action In a televised address a day earlier, Macron vowed that those responsible for the destruction would be held accountable. "Those who sought to bring down the republic will be held accountable," he said, adding that the country felt "anger and shame" over the violence. Further clashes and looting were reported late Sunday in Paris, Lyon and Marseille. In the French capital, police arrested 92 people by around midnight following renewed incidents near Place de la République. Read more: Greta Thunberg joins French teens on new day of school protests Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to chair an interministerial crisis meeting at 10 am local time (0800GMT) to assess the economic impact of the unrest, damage to businesses, insurance issues and ongoing legal proceedings. According to the Federation of Commerce and Distribution, around 1,500 businesses were targeted during Saturday's violence, with estimated losses amounting to several hundred million euros.

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