🔴 French PM vows 'massive' police operation for new protests on Saturday

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said further curfews would be imposed "where necessary" on Tuesday evening after those on Monday in parts of Paris and other cities "helped keep the peace overnight" following a weekend of unrest and looting. Police confirmed the night had passed without major incidents across France. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. French PM vows 'massive' police operation for new protests on Saturday Italy set to approve harsher security measures targeting minors Italy will approve new security measures on Tuesday targeting minors, politicians said, after days of unrest that have seen demonstrators clash with police, loot shops and vandalise property. Under the crackdown, law enforcers will be allowed to detain people under the age of 18 at police stations for 12 hours, even if they have not committed a crime, provided there is evidence they pose a danger, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said. Demonstrators light flares during an anti-government protest organized by the Italia in Piazza movement, at Piazza Duomo in Milan, on October 17, 2026. Photo/ Piero Cruciatti, AFP Around 149 rioters held in detention awaiting trial France Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin told BFM television that 149 people held at the weekend were in detention awaiting trial. In a separate TV appearance on Monday evening, he said around 2,500 remained in custody for questioning. PM Lecornu vows to reflect on failures that led to weekend's violence Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu vowed on Monday that the government would learn lessons from last weekend's protests and ensuing chaos. "There were things that went well, and things that werescrewed up," he said. "My determination to restore order is absolute." France's turmoil as seen in the French and international media FRANCE 24's Dheepthika Laurent takes a look at coverage of the unrest in France in the national and international press. 'Order must be restored,' says ex-PM running for French presidency Edouard Philippe, the former prime minister who is among the leading candidates in next year's presidential election, has toured the République neighbourhood in Paris that witnessed some of the worst looting on Saturday. "As far as local residents can remember, the neighbourhood had never experienced such an outburst of violence," Philippe wrote in a post on X, adding that "order must be restored". Justice minister calls for 'extremely firm' sentences for looters Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has warned that “shopkeepers and residents will take the law into their own hands” if sentences are not firm enough. During a trip to Lille, Darmanin said more than 800 people were being brought before judges in fast-track procedures. People “who have no criminal record and who find themselves in prison (…), that is extremely rare – in fact, it has never happened in cases of property offences”, the minister told reporters. He cited the case of three individuals who looted a shop in the Lille area, aged between 20 and 25, who were sentenced on Monday to “10 months in prison without parole, even though they were not previously known to the police or the judicial authorities”. Nighttime curfew for minors introduced in parts of Marseille A targeted nighttime curfew for minors will be introduced in several districts of the southern port city of Marseille from this evening and in the coming days, a source close to the matter told AFP. Payan said the move "must be accompanied by a sufficient deployment of police officers across the whole city, so that Marseille no longer has to endure the acts of violence, destruction and vandalism that we have witnessed." Prosecutors investigate man's death during Paris protests Paris prosecutors have opened an investigation into the death of a man during violent protests at the weekend in the French capital. The man was pronounced dead on Saturday in a street that runs from Place de la République, one of the epicentres of the protests. The prosecutors' office said it was also looking into the case of a street medic shown in viral video footage being repeatedly struck by police as he lay still on the sprawling square in central Paris. Macron secures diesel deals in the Gulf in bid to ease crisis at home French President Emmanuel Macron has secured the delivery of an additional 200,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain during his tour of the Gulf, the French presidency has announced. Macron obtained commitments for around 100,000 tonnes per month from the Emirates, while an additional 100,000 tonnes monthly will be secured during a stop in Bahrain later in the day, the Elysee Palace said. The French president is touring key energy suppliers in the Gulf in an effort to secure oil and diesel supplies and bring down prices in France, after a weekend of violent protests sparked by soaring living costs. Mélenchon's LFI threatens to sue minister over alleged attempt to smear party Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s France Unbowed (LFI) party says it plans to press charges against Interior Minister Laurent Nunez after the investigative weekly Mediapart alleged that the government had asked intelligence services and police officials to implicate the hard-left party in the weekend unrest. "I am going to bring a case before the Court of Justice of the Republic against Minister Nunez, because fabricating false documents (…), committing what is known as an abuse of authority (...), are criminal offences," said LFI's national coordinator, Manuel Bompard, speaking on France Info radio. "If the regional intelligence services produce misleading reports, if they are asked to include false information in those reports (...) that is what is known as a state scandal," he added. Le Pen stands to gain as rival parties trade blame over unrest French politicians have been trading blame for the chaos that swept the country at the weekend, with government officials notably rounding on the hard-left France Unbowed party that backed weeks of student protests. Experts say the riots are likely to play into the hands of the far-right National Rally of presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Dr David Lees, a reader in French Studies at the University of Warwick, says Le Pen "is trying to use these events as a vehicle for pushing her popularity ahead of the elections next year". Click on the player below to watch the full interview. French PM to hold talks with party leaders on Thursday Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will host representatives of France's political parties for talks on Thursday, his aides have announced. The PM, who is also due to meet with trade unions tomorrow, has indicated that “security during the presidential campaign” will be on the agenda for Thursday's talks. Far-right National Rally (RN) leaders Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella have already said they will not attend and will send representatives instead. The hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), which Lecornu has repeatedly accused of fuelling unrest, is yet to give an official response. Man arrested in Limoges in relation to town hall arson An arrest has been made in the Haute-Vienne department of France as part of an investigation into the arson attack on Limoges Town Hall, according to a report by AFP. The man who is in his forties, is known for his ties to the ultra-left, AFP learned and was already on a security watchlist for prior acts of violence against a member of the public. The older section of the Limoges town hall, which opened in 1883, was "nearly 100% destroyed" on the inside, according to authorities. The roof and the belfry collapsed, with only the modern section at the building's rear salvaged by firefighters. As unrest sweeps France, fuel-cost anger bolsters Europe's far right As soaring fuel prices squeeze household budgets and businesses across Europe, cost-of-living pressures are driving unrest and giving fresh momentum to far-right parties ahead of elections next year in countries including France, Italy and Poland. Parties once considered fringe had already been gaining ground, with voters from motorists in rural France to young men in Germany's former Communist east looking for alternatives. Some far-right parties are calling for a return to Russian energy. French state has 'failed' businesses, says head of Medef business lobby Patrick Martin, the head of France's Medef business lobby group, says the state has "failed" during the urban unrest that hit at least 3,000 businesses, according to preliminary estimates. “It is up to the state to cover (the operating losses of those who are uninsured) because we pay taxes, including to ensure that law and order is maintained,” Martin told RMC radio. Finance Minister Roland Lescure pledged support measures for shopkeepers and craftspeople. Weekend rioting and looting heightens scrutiny of police tactics Prime Minister Lecornu has defended police handling of the unrest, saying that “despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle”. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered his resignation on Sunday evening but President Emmanuel Macron refused it “given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context,” his office said. Macron instructed Nunez “to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence,” the statement said. The president also asked for the introduction of “new policing tactics on the ground as quickly as possible” to put an end to the violence. French unrest sparks fears for critical tourism industry The weekend unrest in Paris has left visitors scrambling to navigate the City of Light as marches, traffic delays and wafting tear gas snarled the French capital's 14-billion-euro ($16-billion) tourism industry. On Monday, a small group of protesters was blocking the entrance to the Louvre's famous glass pyramid, leading to sometimes tense confrontations with frustrated tourists hoping to tour the world's most visited museum. Targeted curfews helped keep the peace overnight, says French PM The targeted curfews imposed in parts of Paris and other cities helped keep the peace overnight, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said in a post on X. He added that local authorities on the ground will be able to impose targeted curfews again on Tuesday night where they deem necessary. • Mass protests against the rising cost of living and in support of high school students’ demands over education funding erupted in violent clashes in which law enforcement officers and protesters were wounded, public buildings were set ablaze and businesses were looted. • French authorities issued a curfew for Place de la Republique and the streets around Les Halles in central Paris to take effect Monday night from 11pm until 6am on Tuesday. • Interior Minister Laurent Nunez admitted that police had "lost control" of the protests in several cities over the weekend, while the Yellow Vest movement called for a new round of protests on Saturday.