Parts of Paris, Lyon and Lille are shut down tonight after antigovernment demonstrations across the country devolved into the most destructive riots France has seen in decades. Officials estimate at least 3,000 businesses were pillaged over the weekend. France's prime minister Sébastien Lecornu ordered local officials in cities most affected by the riots to impose curfews in an effort to reassert control. He vowed to use "whatever tools are at the government's disposal." The decision came amid an escalating political blame game.
Lecornu blamed the far left for the unrest, while the country's main far-left party has blamed his government. France's interior minister acknowledged today that the police had been underprepared to deal with the riots, which spun off from mostly peaceful protests demanding better school conditions.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing