France imposes new curfews as 123 jailed after weekend of rioting

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced on Tuesday that new curfews will be imposed where required after measures introduced the previous day had "helped keep the night calm" following some of France's worst rioting in years.

The Interior Ministry confirmed that 123 people have been jailed in connection with the weekend's violence and looting. More than 2,500 people have been taken into police custody across the country since Saturday.

Partial curfews were imposed on Monday in Paris, Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux and Marseille. While Paris restrictions applied only on Monday night, those in Bordeaux and Nice were set to remain in force for several days. Lecornu said further curfews would be decided by prefects in coordination with mayors.

Justice Minister Gérald Darmainin told TF1 television he had asked public prosecutor's offices to reclassify cases as organised crime, a step that would extend police custody to 72 hours — allowing authorities to use geolocation and wiretaps to identify suspects. He also said authorities would use facial recognition tools to examine social media.

The unrest began as student demonstrations over poor conditions in high schools and escalated sharply on Saturday. President Emmanuel Macron, currently on a Gulf tour aimed at securing oil and diesel supplies, acknowledged shortcomings in the handling of the protests but condemned the "unbridled" violence.

A 40-year-old suspect was arrested on Tuesday in the Haute-Vienne department in connection with the destruction of the 19th-century town hall in Limoges. An anti-terrorism unit is handling that investigation; the suspect is described as having ties to the ultra-left.

Lecornu is scheduled to visit Limoges on Friday.