France imposes partial night curfews as riots follow student and union protests

On Monday, France's prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, ordered curfews covering part of the night in a number of cities around the country, aiming to halt rioting and looting that broke out after protests by students and labour unions, Israel Hayom reported. The government has attributed the unrest to the far left, according to the same report, while right-wing politicians and some leaders outside France have offered a different explanation.

Israeli news site Ynet reported that a nighttime curfew was in force in the heart of Paris and that tension was running high over the prospect of the disturbances resuming. A Ynet news alert said several cities had declared partial curfew measures out of concern that the riots would start again.

Who declared the curfews

The reports frame the measures slightly differently. Israel Hayom describes the curfew as announced by the prime minister for various cities, while Ynet's coverage refers to a series of cities declaring partial curfews themselves. Neither report lists every city involved, and neither gives the hours during which the curfews apply beyond describing them as nighttime measures. Ynet specifically names central Paris as one of the areas affected.

The political argument over blame

The unrest has quickly become a dispute between France's political camps. According to Ynet, Lecornu warned that the far left was planning "deep disorder," and the outlet's headline carried a line saying the far left intends to sow chaos until the elections. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, whom Ynet identifies as the leader of the far left, responded by telling the prime minister to be quiet.

On the right, Ynet reported that there were calls for an investigation into Éric Zemmour, a far-right figure, over remarks in which he compared the rioters to a horde of barbarians attacking French cities and said the country was living under colonialism. The reports do not say who made the demand for an investigation or which authority it was addressed to.

Marine Le Pen, the leading figure of the French nationalist right, has taken a more restrained line so far, according to Ynet. The outlet said that Le Pen, who polls suggest will win the coming elections, has not blamed immigrants or the children of immigrants for the violence, and quoted her as saying that Islam is compatible with the Republic.

Israel Hayom's account also notes the gap between the government's explanation and the one put forward by figures on the right and abroad, but the available portion of its report is cut off before it sets out what that alternative explanation is.

Foreign governments issue travel warnings

The disturbances have prompted governments outside France to advise caution. Ynet reported that China warned its citizens about the situation and that Malaysia advised travellers to consider postponing trips. The reports do not say whether other countries, including Israel, have issued similar guidance.

Images and claims circulating online

As with many episodes of unrest, images from France have spread widely on social media, not all of them verified. Barak Ravid, a correspondent for Axios, wrote that one widely shared picture could not be confirmed as authentic after checking, but that it was based on a genuine incident in which an elderly couple was robbed during the disturbances. He described it as a sad reflection of the state of France.

The Hebrew-language Telegram channel Abu Ali Express posted about a branch of the clothing retailer Zara in Lyon, a major city in southeastern France, saying its shop windows had been left undamaged and that the words "Free Palestine" had been sprayed on the storefront. The post did not say who was responsible or offer further detail, and no other report in the material mentions the incident.

What the reports do not say

The material leaves several basic questions unanswered. None of the reports explains what the original student and union protests were about, when they began, or how they turned into rioting. There are no figures on arrests, injuries or damage, and no official count of the cities under curfew. The reports do not say how long the curfews are expected to last or what penalties apply to those who break them.

It is also unclear what evidence the government has for attributing the violence to the far left, and the alternative account offered by right-wing figures and foreign leaders is only partly visible in the reporting. The single post about the Zara branch in Lyon and the account of the robbery of an elderly couple have each been reported by one source only.