France Imposes Curfews as Macron Faces Backlash Over Economy and Education
France has announced partial curfews in several major cities following a weekend of violent unrest that saw shops looted and public property damaged. The curfews, set to take effect this evening, were announced by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin’s office, with prefects instructed to implement them. “I’ve asked the prefects to implement a number of curfews for this evening,” said government spokesman Olivier Véran, adding that “the key issues” include both “the protection of people, but also of property and businesses.” The move comes as President Emmanuel Macron faces mounting criticism over his handling of the economy and education, with opponents accusing him of losing control. “On Saturday in some major cities, you couldn’t look shopkeepers in the eye after hundreds of shops had been looted and tell them we hadn’t lost control,” Véran admitted.nnThe unrest, which gripped Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities, has reignited debate over who is responsible. Interior Minister Darmanin said 60,000 police and security forces had been deployed nationwide, but acknowledged it had not been enough to control “determined, organised groups of violent rioters.” Exactly who was responsible for the weekend’s destruction remains a point of debate. Darmanin and right-wing politicians have accused far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is popular with young voters and vying for second place behind Marine Le Pen in the polls, of playing an “important role” within a “far-left network” driving the unrest. Meanwhile, a website claiming to represent the Yellow Jacket movement has called for more protests this coming Saturday, and the country’s main unions are organizing strikes and protests on Nov. 10.nnIn response to the violence, Macron has decided to keep police chief Frédéric Nuñez in his position to ensure the chain of command is maintained within the police and security forces, and has asked the interior minister to establish new methods to deal with looters, according to a statement from the Élysée. The decision comes amid broader concerns over Macron’s economic and education policies, which have sparked widespread discontent. The Louvre museum in Paris remained closed all day on Monday after the CGT union, which supports but is not taking part in the
Shimanta Das 
