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Marseille is set to impose a curfew on minors each night until Friday, sources have told French media, after prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said the measures last night contributed to “calm” across the country.
The curfew will begin at 10pm (9pm BST) and end at 5am (4am BST), until Friday, according to AFP and Le Figaro. It will be targeted to certain areas, such as around shopping centres, rather than covering the entire city.
Prime minister Sebastien Lecornu had said targeted curfews would be decided by local authorities “on the ground, by the prefects, in coordination with the mayors”.
Last night, the French government imposed partial curfews across the country, including in Paris and Nice, after riots and looting amid nationwide protests over the weekend.
It came after thousands of rioters were arrested during the weekend’s widespread protests, with justice minister Gérald Darmanin promising an “unrelenting” response to violence.
Riots also spread across Europe, with similar incidents in Belgium, Albania and Italy, where the government is set to dispatch 500 army troops to “defend Milan”.
Watch: Unfazed jogger casually runs through chaotic Paris protests
Unfazed jogger casually runs through chaotic Paris protests
Alex Croft20 October 2026 13:28
Louvre remains closed after students blockade Paris museum
The Louvre in Paris remained closed to visitors on Monday after students blocked its entrances in solidarity with the high school protests that have spread across France.
The blockade was led by students from art history school École du Louvre, who gathered outside the museum early in the morning. Management decided not to open at its scheduled time of 9am, with barriers preventing visitors from entering.
A leaflet distributed at the entrances declared: “We are proud to announce that we are blocking the world’s largest museum.” It accused the government of neglecting public services and called for better conditions for students and workers, and an end to what it described as unacceptable police repression, according to Le Figaro.
The students said they wanted to support high school pupils demanding better educational conditions and call for increased funding for education and culture.
Protesters, including students from the Ecole du Louvre, block an entrance to the Louvre Museum to express their “support” for the high school students’ movement and to denounce police repression in Paris on October 19, 2026, two days after riots and looting occurred on the sidelines of nationwide cost-of-living demonstrations (AFP/Getty)
Alex Croft20 October 2026 12:59
Recap: Trump blames France riots on immigration, claims Paris will soon be a ‘Muslim city’
Donald Trump has blamed the unrest in France on immigration, claiming Paris will soon become a “Muslim city” and urged president Emmanuel Macron to close the country’s borders.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Monday, Trump said he had warned Macron about his immigration policies when they first met, around eight or nine years ago.
“He’s a friend of mine. I told him a long time ago, you’re making a big mistake in France. You’re letting everybody from the world come in,” Trump said. “The whole world was coming in. And as you know, Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon, and that wasn’t the deal.”
Trump dismissed the suggestion that the unrest was driven by domestic grievances, saying: “What’s happening in France has to do with immigration, not schools, not anything.”
Earlier on Monday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that migrants had “taken over France” and they should “close the borders, fast”.
Alex Croft20 October 2026 12:27
French police arrest main suspect behind Limoges town hall fire
The main suspect behind the fire at Limoges town hall has been arrested, a police source and the local public prosecutor have told Le Parisien.
The 34-year-old man, from the Creuse region, is described as an ultra-left activist who was already on France’s security watchlist, they said.
He was arrested in Val-d’Issoire by the Bordeaux special forces at around 6:15am local time (5:15am BST) on Tuesday morning, the report added.
The suspect is reportedly known to the police for acts of violence against people in authority.
The Limoges town hall erupted in a huge blaze during the widespread protests in France on Saturday.
Marseille to impose 10pm curfew for minors on Tuesday
Marseille is set to impose a curfew for minors from 10pm local time on Tuesday, a source has told AFP.
The curfew will begin at 10pm (9pm BST) and end at 5am (4am BST), and will be repeated each night at least until Friday.
It will be placed in certain areas, including around shopping centres, and will not affect the entire city of Marseille, according to Le Figaro.
Further details of the curfew will be shared this afternoon by the Bouches-du-Rhona prefecture.
Alex Croft20 October 2026 11:22
New curfews to be decided after restrictions ‘contributed to the calm’, says French PM
French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu has said new, targeted curfews will be decided “where the situation requires it” in France tonight.
“Targeted curfews have contributed to the calm of this night,” the Mr Lecornu said on X.
“I thank the police officers and gendarmes who ensured their enforcement, as well as the prefects for their mobilization.”
He added: “Tonight, new curfews will be decided where the situation requires it. These decisions will be made on the ground, by the prefects, in coordination with the mayors.”
Alex Croft20 October 2026 10:56
France is on fire. Will protests spread to the UK?France is on fire. Will protests spread to the UK?
Alex Croft20 October 2026 10:25
European stocks slide after France protests
European shares extended losses on Tuesday as investors weighed the impact of political instability in France, which has dampened risk appetite across regional markets.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.27% at 637.84 points shortly after 8am BST, after slipping 0.8% in the previous session. France’s benchmark CAC 40 index edged 0.2% lower.
Late on Monday, French authorities set curfews in parts of several cities including Paris, Lille and Nice a weekend of riots and looting stemming from nationwide anti-government protests.
The protests have intensified pressure on the euro zone’s second-largest economy, which is grappling with soft economic growth and ballooning government debt.
The unrest also underscores the challenges the government faces in reducing its large deficit.
Alex Croft20 October 2026 09:53
Shahana Yasmin20 October 2026 09:19
The European cities facing protests from Paris to Milan as continent gripped by cost of living crisis
Violent protests have broken out across Europe amid growing frustration over the cost of living crisis, a lack of affordable housing, and deteriorating school conditions.
As many as 550,000 people turned out across France on Saturday, according to authorities, to demonstrate against declining public services. Protests turned violent in Paris as shops were looted and cars set on fire in some of the city’s worst violence in years.
Young people waved Italian flags and let off flares in Milan as they rallied against the rising cost of living in scenes that were condemned by prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
Shahana Yasmin20 October 2026 08:50