Paris: French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that he has instructed prefects to impose “very limited” and “localised” curfews in cities in order to prevent more rioting and looting.
Speaking after an emergency meeting with top government officials, Lecornu said “on Saturday, despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle”, as he defended the work of police officers faced with violent groups of people.
Recent protests over the rising cost of living erupted in Paris and several other French cities, with violent clashes breaking out in some areas.
Around 550,000 people took part in protests across France on Saturday. According to local media reports, the demonstrations brought together farmers, climate activists, trade unions and students, who voiced demands concerning fuel prices, costs of living, education and public services.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron rejected Interior Minister Laurent Nunez's resignation after violence erupted during protests over the weekend, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Monday.
Admitting that police "lost control" of protests in some cities over the weekend, Nunez said there had been a "lack of anticipation" ahead of the violence and that he offered his resignation to Macron because he "felt responsible for everything that happened," according to French media.
"Given the necessity for continued leadership of law enforcement at this time, the president refused," according to the Elysee Palace statement.
Macron had instructed Nunez to "put in place new operational methods for security forces" to handle the crisis, according to the statement.
Macron also renewed calls for greater transparency, acknowledging "failures in anticipation and intelligence."
A total of 2,397 people were arrested during the protests, which were marred by violence, according to figures released by the French Interior Ministry on Sunday. A total of 997 police officers and gendarmes were injured, seven of them seriously.
Since September, France has witnessed multiple rounds of mass student protests demanding better educational conditions.
(With inputs from AP via PTI & Reuters)