France to impose new curfews where necessary, says PM

France will impose new curfews in areas where needed, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, adding that the measures introduced in several cities the previous day had "helped keep the night calm".

France was rocked on Saturday by some of its worst rioting in recent years, just six months before the country elects a successor to President Emmanuel Macron.

Accused of failing to anticipate and contain the street violence, the government has pledged to restore order, and had announced partial curfews in Paris and some other cities yesterday.

"Targeted curfews have contributed to calm overnight," Mr Lecornu wrote on X.

"Tonight new curfews will be decided where the situation requires it. These decisions will be made on the ground, by the prefects, in coordination with the mayors," he said.

Police confirmed the night had passed without major incidents across France.

Several cities, including Paris, the southwestern city of Bordeaux and Nice on the French Riviera, introduced partial curfews yesterday in response to urban unrest that followed weeks of student demonstrations over poor learning conditions in secondary schools.

While some restrictions, such as those in Paris, initially applied only for the night from yesterday to today, others, particularly in Bordeaux and Nice, were set to remain in force for several days.

During the night, a helicopter flew over the French capital's Place de la Republique, one of the epicentres of the unrest, sweeping a powerful searchlight across the square to monitor compliance with the curfew.

In Lyon, despite a ban on demonstrations, around 500 people gathered yesterday evening outside the tourism office that was set on fire, to show support for shopkeepers affected by looting, according to organisers.

The word "LYON" had been spelled out on the ground with candles.

A banner hung on a fence nearby read "Anti-Rioters Lyon" and "Doucet Resign", referring to Green mayor Gregory Doucet, an AFP journalist said.

Under pressure, the government scheduled another series of emergency meetings on Tuesday, including talks involving representatives of major social media platforms.

Finance Minister Roland Lescure pledged support measures for shopkeepers and craftspeople.

Patrick Martin, the head of France's Medef business lobby group, has accused the state of having "failed" during the urban unrest that hit at least 3,000 businesses, according to preliminary estimates.

Bonfires of electric bikes burn in Paris riots

During the protests, the sight of electric bikes burning has become commonplace in the unrest.

In Paris, black smoke and flames rose over piles of thee-bikes at the weekend. Elsewhere in the city, a protester threw an e-bike onto a burning car.

Shared-mobility operator Dott said in a statement that about 300 of its electric ‌bikes were destroyed and 120 ⁠severely damaged in Paris during the nationwide protests on Saturday. It has 6,000 bikes in the city.

The company also said 80 vehicles, including bikes and scooters, were destroyed in Bordeaux and 30 to 40 scooters in Lyon. It estimated the damage at around €400,000.

Lime said some of ‌its shared bicycles and scooters in Paris were destroyed or damaged during the protests, with the company losing about 6% of its Paris ⁠fleet.

Ahead of the demonstrations, Lime said it worked with police to remove vehicles from ‌designated protest routes and restricted parking and riding in several high-risk areas, adjusting ⁠those measures over ‌the weekend as the situation evolved.

Smovengo, operator of the Vélib' Métropole bike-sharing service in Paris, said some 300 bikes from its fleet of around 20,000 were damaged or stolen during the weekend unrest. Its bikes ⁠are docked rather than parked on pavements.

E-bikes often use lithium-ion batteries, which can ignite and produce ⁠intense fires that spread rapidly and produce toxic smoke.

There was no indication that e-bike operators were specifically targeted during the protests, however, with thousands of bicycles available across Paris streets and docking stations, they proved readily accessible to protesters, with many used to build barricades or set ‌on fire.