AhlulBayt News Agency: The French government has announced plans to introduce curfews in several cities from Monday evening in response to weeks of student protests and large public gatherings. Authorities are also considering increasing police and gendarmerie deployments and reviewing the possible use of emergency legal powers.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said during a live broadcast on Monday that he had instructed regional administrative officials to impose partial and localised restrictions on movement in certain areas from Monday evening. The measures are intended to help authorities manage the continuing demonstrations.
Following an interministerial crisis meeting held at 10 a.m. on Monday, Lecornu, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and other government officials announced plans to strengthen security arrangements and increase controls on public demonstrations. The decisions came after weeks of protests involving secondary-school students and a large gathering held on October 17.
According to the government, curfews were expected to take effect in several French cities on Monday evening, with the list of affected locations due to be announced later in the afternoon.
Increased Police Deployment and Emergency Powers
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he wanted to increase the number of police officers and gendarmes deployed on the streets to reinforce security controls across the country. According to the report, the president had not accepted the interior minister's resignation.
Asked whether the government might declare a state of emergency or invoke Article 16 of the French Constitution, Lecornu said those options could be considered if deemed useful. He added, however, that curfew measures appeared more appropriate under the current circumstances.
Article 16 provides the French president with exceptional constitutional powers under specific conditions. Any decision to invoke such powers would therefore have significant legal and political implications.
Curfews in Northern France and Guadeloupe
Movement restrictions have already been introduced in some parts of France. In Denain, a town in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France, the Socialist mayor announced a curfew running from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The restriction was scheduled to remain in force until Sunday, October 25.
On Sunday, the prefect of Guadeloupe also introduced movement restrictions for minors. The source report described the measure as a “colonial curfew” and argued that strict administrative policies are frequently applied in French territories outside mainland France.
The report's author further suggested that exceptional measures initially introduced in overseas territories are sometimes subsequently adopted, in a limited form, in mainland France. This interpretation reflects the author's criticism of the government's approach.
Concerns Over the Policing of Demonstrations
The developments come amid reports of forceful police action against students and other demonstrators in recent weeks. The source report refers to serious injuries, amputations and severe eye damage among some protesters.
The government says its measures are intended to strengthen public security and manage ongoing demonstrations. Critics, however, argue that expanding curfews and administrative restrictions could limit the right to protest and intensify tensions between authorities and demonstrators.
The report's author characterises the government's approach as anti-democratic and calls on trade unions and social movements to oppose the restrictions.
Calls for Strikes and Wider Opposition
The report concludes by urging workers' organisations, trade unions and social movements to organise strikes against the restrictions. It calls for collective action in support of secondary-school students, university students and workers whose grievances, the author argues, risk being suppressed through police action and administrative controls.
The unfolding situation raises broader questions about the balance between public order, freedom of assembly and the right to protest. The scope and implementation of the announced restrictions, as well as the government's possible use of exceptional legal powers, remain central issues in the debate.
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