set fire to trash bins, bicycles and other objects<\/a> in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities. That followed the violence during nationwide protests Saturday against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. At least 2400 people were arrested across the country.<\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/people-look-at-charred-cars-the-day-after-a-demonstration-ag-CCPMXSFE75ASRD67VZGEOPWJ5I.jpg\")
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People look at charred cars the day after a demonstration against rising living costs, joining students’ grievances, in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n
Authorities estimated that at least 3000 businesses were damaged or looted in several cities.<\/p>\n
In Marseille, the prefect banned any protest or other gatherings from noon to 8pm Monday (local time).<\/p>\n
\u201cI submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that is happening,\u201d Nu\u00f1ez said on France Inter radio. \u201cNow the real issue is ensuring that this doesn\u2019t happen again. \u2026 We obviously need to be better at anticipating the kind of mobilisation that is unfolding.”<\/p>\n
Nu\u00f1ez blamed the violence on \u201chordes of troublemakers and looters\u201d and \u201cfar-left activists\u201d, and said police strategy needs to be adapted \u201cin the face of extremely mobile groups\u201d. Authorities said groups of hundreds of people sought confrontations with police and targeted public buildings, including city halls and other public offices.<\/p>\n
Shopkeepers assess damage<\/p>\n
![\"Youths](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/youths-break-a-store-window-during-clashes-between-protestor-ICZ6MDVIHZEM3DQRMMYYDYNLMA.jpg\")
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Youths break a store window during clashes between protestors and police in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n
Nu\u00f1ez acknowledged that authorities had \u201clost control\u201d in some major cities.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t look shopkeepers in the eye when hundreds of businesses have been looted and say we haven\u2019t lost control in some of these major cities,\u201d Nu\u00f1ez said.<\/p>\n
Flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall in Limoges, in central France, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building.<\/p>\n
On Monday, cleanup crews and firefighters cleared shattered glass and other debris from the streets of Paris.<\/p>\n
Ouri Zagoury, owner of a video game shop near Paris’ Place de la R\u00e9publique, said he closed the store Saturday afternoon but then saw looters forcing their way in on surveillance cameras.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-firefighter-extinguishes-a-fire-during-clashes-with-police-FZ3KBS42KJAG7OZUEUJXZXZWQU.jpg\")
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A firefighter extinguishes a fire during clashes with police a day after a demonstration against rising living costs, joining students’ grievances, in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were so many people coming in and out. And even though I called the police, they said not to intervene, that they would come, but they never did, which is another problem,” Zagoury said.<\/p>\n
Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally, pointed to the government’s failure to prevent violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government has failed, the head of state has failed in his essential duty of protecting the French people,\u201d he told reporters at party headquarters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI call on the people of France now, beyond their right to protest, to use their voting power,\u201d Bardella said. He is campaigning alongside far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose polling numbers have for months suggested she is the front-runner in next spring’s presidential election.<\/p>\n
The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including an Australian MP is attacked with a car, rare footage of the world\u2019s second largest animal, and the couple going viral for dining during a riot. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Paris police said that they issued an overnight curfew in two areas of the French capital \u201cto protect…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636086,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39,1745],"class_list":["post-636085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-uk-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/protesters-burn-trash-during-clashes-with-police-the-day-aft-5AEB66ILHFCSLFRPDSUKBAM5JM.jpg\")
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