Marseille faces heightened security after weekend riots

More than 500 premises were damaged in Marseille on Saturday, with the majority of shops looted as protests escalated into widespread disorder. Police reported 118 officers injured, accounting for over a tenth of the national total, and 101 arrests have been made, including a quarter of minors.

Authorities imposed an eight-hour ban on demonstrations on Monday, which limited large gatherings and led to a noticeable police presence on the streets. An overnight curfew for minors is set to begin Tuesday evening in parts of the city.

Police union representative Arnaud Blaise described the events as an "unheard-of level of violence" and blamed far-left agitators, known locally as the Black Bloc, for provoking looting by youths from the northern suburbs. He said police fired around 4,000 tear-gas grenades before running out of ammunition.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez visited Marseille on Monday and met with Socialist Mayor Benoît Payan, who called the handling of the unrest a "fiasco" and urged a radical change in police tactics, warning that without it, further looting could recur.

Local residents expressed concern over the violence. 18-year-old student Maryame, new to the city, said the demonstrations turned "terrifying" and questioned whether violence could compel the government to act. 79-year-old resident Chantal Bellanger said she was "worried" about the impact of the unrest on young people.