France to Impose Local Curfews and Fast-Track Aid After Wave of Looting

France will introduce localised curfews in urban areas affected by looting and provide emergency support to businesses damaged during the unrest, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday, as the government moved to restore order and protect jobs.

Speaking after an interministerial crisis meeting on Monday, Lecornu said prefects had been instructed to coordinate with mayors and business representatives to determine where curfews were needed. The measures would be targeted at areas experiencing violence and looting rather than imposed nationwide.

The government will also accelerate investigations into the October 17 incidents. Lecornu said nearly 200 investigators in the Paris region would examine images and videos to identify those involved, while a large proportion of people already detained were facing prosecution.

Authorities would seek to make those responsible for the damage pay for it, Lecornu said, pointing to existing civil-liability rules and proposed legislation that would allow social benefits to be seized to cover compensation in certain cases.

Businesses affected by the unrest will receive emergency assistance, including full-rate partial unemployment payments for eligible workers from Tuesday, October 20. The government is also considering a dedicated support fund to help firms meet immediate cash-flow needs and resume operations, while discussions with insurers aim to speed up damage assessments, advance payments and reopening.

Lecornu said the government wanted to prevent the destruction of shops and other businesses from triggering further job losses, particularly among retailers that had already stocked goods for the Christmas trading season.

The prime minister also raised concerns about the possible impact of the unrest on France’s presidential election campaign. He said intelligence services had warned of far-left networks seeking to generate disorder and potentially challenge the timing or conduct of the election.

He said the government would discuss measures to protect candidates, campaign events and the democratic process with the interior minister and political parties. Lecornu also called for a more technical debate about police methods for maintaining public order, arguing that law enforcement should not become a political tool.

While condemning the violence and property damage, he stressed that many people had demonstrated peacefully on October 17 and said the government had a responsibility to protect the right to demonstrate.

Source: FSX Business News