France tightens security after riots

MARSEILLE, Oct. 20 (YPA) – Authorities in Marseille, southern France, have banned all gatherings and demonstrations on Tuesday between noon and 8 p.m. local time, following violence and looting on the sidelines of Saturday’s protests, according to AFP.

A visit to the city by Interior Minister Laurent Nunez was canceled after Mayor Benoît Payant criticized the handling of order and spoke of a shortage of security forces in the field.

Nunez admitted that the riots were out of control and that the number of police was disproportionate to the crowds, saying in an interview with France Inter that hundreds of shops had been looted: “We can no longer pretend that we haven’t lost control.”

Nunez had announced his resignation, considering himself responsible for what happened in the Yellow Vest protests, but the Élysée Palace announced that President Macron had rejected it.

For his part, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that he had asked prefects to impose a partial and limited curfew tonight to protect shops, with the possibility of declaring a state of emergency if necessary. He confirmed that he would hold a special meeting with the Interior Ministry and intelligence services after speaking of a “shadowy network that may be seeking to revise the presidential timetable.”

In response, the Yellow Vest movement called for a new mobilization next Saturday and a day of action on October 24.

Economically, the euro fell 0.25% to $1.1210 as political stability concerns intensified and the spread between French and German bond yields widened to more than 150 basis points.