Parisians voiced mixed views on a second night of partial curfews on Tuesday (October 20), as police patrolled the capital after weekend riots and looting plunged France into one of its worst periods of unrest in years.

Place de la République was cordoned off, with police officers stationed outside the nearby metro station and a helicopter circling overhead.

Student Raphaël said a curfew could help curb "excessive violence," while Mamadou Diouaré said the nights restriction would not stop looting and could instead fuel resentment among young people.

The government said targeted curfews had helped restore calm and pledged a major security deployment, including troops alongside police, for further protests planned on Saturday.

"It depends on how long it's going to last," student Carla said, adding that the effect of an increased police presence remained unclear.

The targeted curfews that were imposed in parts of Paris and other cities after several days of protests that turned violent helped keep the peace overnight, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said earlier on Tuesday.

He added that local authorities on the ground will be able to impose targeted curfews again on Tuesday night where they deem necessary.

Governments in Europe and Asia, including China, have advised citizens travelling to France to avoid large crowds and exercise caution, warning of a deterioration in security conditions.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

PARIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 20, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. VARIOUS OF CORDONED OFF PLACE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE, POLICE PATROLLING

2. VARIOUS OF HELICOPTER WITH SPOTLIGHT FLYING OVER PLACE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE

3. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LEAVING THE METRO STATION BEFORE IT CLOSES

4. SIGNAGE FOR “RÉPUBLIQUE” METRO STATION

5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) STUDENT, RAPHAËL(NO SURNAME GIVEN), SAYING:

“I realized that there was, in fact, a great deal of violence in Paris, so a curfew could be a good response, at the very least, to prevent excessive violence.”

6. PEOPLE LEAVING METRO STATION

7. POLICE OFFICERS IN FRONT OF METRO STATION

8. (SOUNDBITE) (French) STUDENT, MAMADOU DIOUARÉ, SAYING:

“Imposing an 11 p.m. curfew isn't going to put an end to the looting. Generally, looting takes place during the day, when, unfortunately, all the shops are open, and so on. I find that truly unfortunate. And, once again, I don’t believe this is something that will actually stop the violence. As I said before, this is only going to fuel more hatred. Young people will think to themselves: ‘They didn't understand us; they didn't listen to us. They’re keeping us confined to our homes, trying to shut us away and cut us off from all social interaction.'"

9. POLICE CARS ON THE STREET

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FINANCIAL ANALYST, SEUH (NO SURNAME GIVEN), SAYING:

“I'm not quite sure about their actions, especially the government's response to this situation, but one thing I'm pretty sure of is that the last thing we want to have is this kind of situation to have a influence more normal people's lives. And specially, I think this much violence we've seen over the past few days it has significantly raised the vote rate for the far-right party.”

11. POLICE OFFICER TALKING TO JOURNALISTS

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FINANCIAL ANALYST, SEUH (NO SURNAME GIVEN), SAYING:

“If you have to go to work in the morning and during the night they do not feel so safe and they cannot really sleep well, that will also be a big problem for normal people.”

13. VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICERS IN FRONT OF METRO STATION

14. (SOUNDBITE) (French) STUDENT, CARLA (NO SURNAME GIVEN), SAYING:

“Actually, it depends on how long it’s going to last. Will it just be for a short while? Will it go on until Saturday? Will it still be going on two weeks from now? We don’t know yet. As I said, things are calm for the moment. The real question is: if there’s an increased police presence, how will things play out? That’s really what it comes down to.”

15. VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICERS NEXT TO CROSSING

16. VARIOUS OF CONVOY OF POLICE VEHICLES ON STREET WITH SIRENS ON