Fire at town hall 'affects us just as much as that of Notre-Dame', says Darmanin

A fire at Limoges town hall over the weekend is just as terrible as the fire of Notre-Dame, justice minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Monday.

“The fire at Limoges town hall affects us just as much as that of Notre-Dame,” he told TFI.

“I want to assure the mayor of Limoges, Guillaume Guérin, as well as the residents that we are taking the situation very seriously.

“The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has positioned itself as an observer. It is carefully assessing the situation and will determine in the coming hours whether it takes charge of this case.”

A structural fire broke out at the cathedral in 2019.

Maira Butt19 October 2026 21:45

Commercial courts to be convened to enable businesses to be compensated

Justice minister Gerald Darmanin has said that he is convening commercial courts to enable businesses to pursue civil actions and be compensated amid looting and violence across France.

“I will convene this Wednesday all the commercial courts concerned to support all the merchant victims, enable them to file a complaint or seek civil liability in order to be compensated for the loss of the fruit of a lifetime of work,” he told TFI.

Footage and images from France over the weekend showed shops and luxury stores being broken into and looted by masked intruders.

Maira Butt19 October 2026 21:30

Police custody to be extended and phone tapping and facial recognition used to identify culprits, says Darmanin

France’s justice minister Gerald Darmanin has said that facial recognition software and phone tapping will be used to identify people involved in unrest and “violence and looting”. He added that police custody for alleged culprits would also be extended for up to 72 hours.

“Under this regime, police custody may be extended up to 72 hours, geolocation and telephone tapping will be possible, and, for the first time in this context, we will resort to facial recognition to identify those who claim responsibility for violence and looting, particularly on social networks,” he told TFI and shared a post to X after the interview.

Maira Butt19 October 2026 21:12

Criminal response will be 'unrelenting', says justice minister

France’s justice minister Gerald Darmanin has said that the criminal response to unrest amid nationwide protests will be “unrelenting”.

Speaking to TFI, he said: “I have given instructions that the criminal response be unrelenting. We must show extreme firmness toward the rioters who attack public buildings or businesses, and those who target law enforcement or firefighters.”

Maira Butt19 October 2026 21:06

‘We are the shame of Europe’: France imposes curfews to stop growing riots

Marseille mayor Benoit Payan said France had become“the shame of Europe” as new measures were announced banning public gatherings in some of the country’s most iconic destinations from 10pm to 6am.

Sections of Paris, Lille and Marseille are among the cities affected, with more expected to follow after an appeal from prime minister Sebastien Lecornu Monday morning.

James C Reynolds reports:

Maira Butt19 October 2026 21:00

Watch: Unfazed jogger casually runs through chaotic Paris protests

Maira Butt19 October 2026 20:30

Where have curfews been issued in France?

A source in French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu's office said that a curfew for minors had been set between 8pm and 6am for the next two days in Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain with the agreement of local mayors.

Paris police said they had issued orders barring protests in certain areas of the French capital from 8 pm (1800 GMT) and had issued a curfew around the Place de la Republique and Les Halles from 10pm. Both would remain in effect until 6 am on Tuesday morning.

In Nice, mayor Eric Ciotti said in a video posted online that he had signed an order installing a curfew for minors in central Nice overnight.

Marseille has banned gatherings and demonstrations. Meanwhile, French unions called for a new round of strikes and rallies on 5 November.

Maira Butt19 October 2026 19:32

Recap: Fears of further violence as yellow vest protesters announce ‘Act II’ demonstrations

Aggrieved French protesters have announced a “second act” of mass national demonstrations after as many as 800,000 people took to the streets to demand reforms this weekend.

An online movement calling itself 17octobregiletjaune on Monday announced plans for more action on Saturday, October 24, urging “Macron must go and make way for the people!”

The Gilet Jaunes, or Yellow Vests, organised protests in France between 2018 and 2020 in response to rising fuel prices, the cost of living and economic inequality.

This weekend saw widespread protests over inequality and the rising cost of living, gaining momentum from student-led protests against conditions in schools last month.

While hundreds of thousands protested peacefully across France on Saturday, violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, looted luxury boutiques and supermarkets, and attacked police vehicles and officers.

James Reynolds19 October 2026 19:30

Curfew issued for some areas in Paris, says BFMTV

French authorities have issued a curfew for Place de la Republique and the streets around Les Halles in Paris from 2000 GMT on Monday night until 0400 GMT on Tuesday, French broadcaster BFM reported on Monday.

Earlier prime minister Sebastien Lecornu had ruled out a blanket curfew on Paris.

Maira Butt19 October 2026 18:45

Video report: Could we see France’s chaotic protests spread to the UK?

Maira Butt19 October 2026 18:30