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France is on fire. Will protests spread to the UK? France has imposed partial curfews across the country, including in Paris and Nice, after riots and looting amid nationwide protests over the weekend.
Curfews have been ordered in Lille, Douai, Wattignies, and Denain with the agreement of local mayors, according to prime minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office. Nice mayor Eric Ciotti said a curfew for minors had been installed in the city overnight, while Marseille has banned demonstrations. In Paris, police have prohibited protests in designated areas from 8pm and imposed a curfew around Place de la République and Les Halles from 10pm until 6am on Tuesday.
Thousands of people have been arrested for taking part in the protests and justice minister Gérald Darmanin has promised an “unrelenting” response to violence, saying authorities must show “extreme firmness toward the rioters who attack public buildings or businesses, and those who target law enforcement or firefighters.” Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump has attempted to use the unrest ahead of next month’s midterm elections, telling a rally on Monday: “We're not going to let that happen to this country. “When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical Dumocrats want to do to America.” Limoges mayor says city has lost 'architectural gem' after town hall set ablaze during France protests Limoges mayor says city has lost 'architectural gem' after town hall set ablaze during France protests Shahana Yasmin 20 October 2026 06:50 France tells Vinted and eBay to remove listings of goods stolen during riots France has called on online marketplaces including Vinted and eBay to remove listings for items suspected of being stolen during the weekend’s looting. “Stolen goods from this weekend are being offered for sale on certain platforms.
Such behaviors will not go unpunished. We will not let them slide,” digital affairs minister Anne Le Hénanff wrote on X. “We expect these platforms to remove the listings in question without delay,” she added, writing that the platforms are expected to work with authorities to identify sellers of potentially stolen goods.
Small businesses minister Serge Papin said the government was working on coordination between investigators and online platforms to identify people behind suspicious listings. A specific protocol is expected to be introduced, according to a government source who spoke to Politico . Vinted said they have a “zero-tolerance policy” on the sale of stolen goods and that it had taken “immediate action to identify and remove listings that may involve stolen goods”.
Shahana Yasmin 20 October 2026 06:30 Trump holds up France riots as warning to US voters ahead of midterms US president Donald Trump has pointed to the riots in France to warn Americans of what he says could happen if Democrats win the midterm elections next month. “We're not going to let that happen to this country,” Trump said at a rally on Monday, before adding: “When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical Dumocrats want to do to America.” President Donald Trump dances at a campaign rally in Park City, Kansas (AP) The rally was in support of Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who is facing a close contest against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton ahead of the 3 November midterm elections. Shahana Yasmin 20 October 2026 06:10 France is on fire.
Will it spread to the UK? The massive explosion of anger and unrest in France has spread like wildfire across Europe – and Britain has no special reason to think it will not be next, says Sean O’Grady Shahana Yasmin 20 October 2026 05:50 Louvre remains closed after students blockade Paris museum The Louvre in Paris remained closed to visitors on Monday after students blocked its entrances in solidarity with the high school protests that have spread across France. The blockade was led by students from art history school École du Louvre, who gathered outside the museum early in the morning.
Management decided not to open at its scheduled time of 9am, with barriers preventing visitors from entering. Protesters, including students from the Ecole du Louvre, block an entrance to the Louvre Museum to express their "support" for the high school students' movement and to denounce police repression in Paris on October 19, 2026, two days after riots and looting occurred on the sidelines of nationwide cost-of-living demonstrations (AFP/Getty) A leaflet distributed at the entrances declared: “We are proud to announce that we are blocking the world's largest museum.” It accused the government of neglecting public services and called for better conditions for students and workers, and an end to what it described as unacceptable police repression, according to Le Figaro. The students said they wanted to support high school pupils demanding better educational conditions and call for increased funding for education and culture.
Shahana Yasmin 20 October 2026 05:30 At least 2,400 arrested over weekend of violence in France French authorities arrested at least 2,400 people after a weekend of rioting and looting that saw shops ransacked and public buildings attacked across the country. Nearly 1,000 members of the security forces were injured, according to Le Monde . Several French police officers in riot gear pin a protester to the ground during an arrest at a demonstration against the rising cost of living and social inequalities in Poitiers, Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine (AFP/Getty) Alain Di Crescenzo, president of France's chambers of commerce network, estimated that damage to businesses could run into “hundreds of millions of euros”.
The government has promised support for affected businesses, including measures to help employers temporarily reduce working hours. The violence followed weeks of student demonstrations over teacher shortages and poor school conditions. The movement has since expanded, drawing trade unionists and other demonstrators angry over rising prices and the state of public services.
Shahana Yasmin 20 October 2026 05:10 France imposes curfews for minors in Lille, Nice, and Bordeaux Curfews for minors have been introduced in several French cities following a weekend of rioting and looting, with restrictions in some areas set to remain in place until next week. In designated areas of Lille, Douai, Wattignies, and Denain, unaccompanied minors are subject to a curfew from 8pm to 6am for two nights. Nice has introduced a nightly curfew for minors in specified neighbourhoods from 9pm to 6am until 25 October.
In Bordeaux, unaccompanied minors are barred from specified areas between 10pm and 7am until 26 October. Police stop a vehicle entering the curfew zone after 9 pm on Rue de la Barre, just before Place Bellecour in Lyon (AFP/Getty) In Paris, police announced a separate curfew from 11pm on Monday until 6am on Tuesday in designated areas around Place de la République, where rioting took place on Saturday, and Les Halles, a shopping district targeted by looters. Demonstrations were also banned in other designated areas of the capital from 8pm on Monday until 6am on Tuesday.
Lyon has imposed a curfew in part of its city centre from 9pm on Monday until 6am on Tuesday. Shahana Yasmin 20 October 2026 04:50 In pictures: France’s protests spread across the country Several burned-out vehicles, including cars and a van covered in graffiti, line the pavement beside a stone building in Paris, France (AFP/Getty) Masked protesters stand next to burning bicycles amid clashes during a demonstration against the cost of living and rising fuel prices near the Place de la Republique in Paris (Reuters) A shop shutter with the words "Long live the trickle-down!" graffitied on it, in central Paris (AFP/Getty) A protester waving a French national flag walks past a fire during clashes prior to the start of a demonstration to protest against the "high cost of living", in Marseille (AFP/Getty) 'The state oppressed, the people speak out', reads a placard in Lyon on Sunday (AFP/Getty) Shahana Yasmin 20 October 2026 04:30 France imposes curfews after riots leave nearly 3,000 shops affected France has imposed localised curfews and protest restrictions after a weekend of rioting left nearly 3,000 shops affected, hundreds of police officers injured, and a historic town hall partially destroyed by fire. The protests, which began last month over poor conditions in schools, have grown into a broader movement against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services.
Prime minister Sébastien Lecornu called for localised curfews to restore order, saying: “I’m absolutely determined to restore public order,” and added that a state of emergency could be imposed “if needed”. President Emmanuel Macron has refused to accept the resignation of interior minister Laurent Nuñez, who acknowledged that police had lost control during the unrest. “You couldn't look shopkeepers in the eye after hundreds of shops had been looted and say we hadn't lost control,” he said.
Protest organisers have called for another round of demonstrations on Saturday, raising the prospect of further clashes as the authorities prepare to tighten security. Shahana Yasmin 20 October 2026 04:10 Watch: Unfazed jogger casually runs through chaotic Paris protests Unfazed jogger casually runs through chaotic Paris protests Maira Butt 20 October 2026 03:54
Source: The Independent
