Paris & France Riots Map 2026: Damage and Curfews

The protests began in September 2026 with a blockade by students at a high school in Créteil, a Paris suburb, protesting teacher shortages (reports differ on the start date: September 17 or 21), and spread to high schools and universities across the country. October 17 was a national day of action against the high cost of living (vie chère), with about 550,000 participants according to the authorities. On the same day, public buildings such as city halls and prefectures, and shopping streets, were hit by arson and looting in many places. From the night of the 19th, curfews (mostly for minors) began in Paris, Lyon, Lille, Nice and other cities, and the authorities said that night passed without major incidents. In Paris, the police prefecture banned everyone from the centre of Place de la République and the Les Halles/Châtelet area from 23:00 to 06:00 on the nights of 19, 20 and 21 October (residents, people working there, emergency services and shopkeepers excepted), saying the ban would continue as long as necessary. Curfew areas and hours in each city are marked on the map with their sources. Authorities' and the press's accounts of who was involved are given in the list below. This map shows each damaged building, shop or street individually.