[Anchor]
Nighttime curfews have been imposed across various parts of France as protests turned increasingly violent. As the French government admitted it has lost control, it is also keeping the door open to declaring a state of emergency.
Reporting from Paris, here is correspondent Kwon Yeongin.
[Reporter]
Protesters swarmed the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Clashing with security guards, they broke through barricades and rushed toward the museum entrance.
Due to the blockade protest, the Louvre Museum was closed all day yesterday (October 19).
[Phanindra Alaparta / Tourist: They should have told us a bit earlier. That should have been the first priority. There are many ways to protest. They could have let tourists pass while protesting. They shouldn't do it this way.]
Nighttime curfews have been imposed around the Place de la République in Paris and surrounding areas, where fierce protests took place last weekend.
Minors and adults carrying items related to protests, such as masks, are subject to the curfew.
Nighttime travel has also been completely banned in cities like Lyon, while public gatherings have been prohibited in Marseille.
[Oumaima Bouret / Paris Resident: I don't agree with violent protests that smash shops. Such acts actually undermine the sincerity of the protesters. They don't show what we really want.]
At least 3,000 stores nationwide have suffered destruction and looting, and the government has announced that it will track down and sternly punish looters.
[Sébastien Lecornu / French Prime Minister: A massive investigation begins today. In Paris alone, 200 investigators will be deployed to analyze CCTV footage and photographs.]
The government also requested secondhand trading platforms, Amazon, and Meta to remove any items suspected of being looted.
Admitting that it practically lost control of cities during the protests last weekend, the French government has left open the possibility of declaring a state of emergency.
However, criticism of the government's incompetence is mounting.
President Emmanuel Macron has also faced backlash for attending a concert by singer Celine Dion on Friday night, just ahead of the large-scale protests.
Anger is particularly growing over the police's excessive use of force against student demonstrations demanding improvements to the educational environment.
Last month, in front of a high school, police fired a tear gas canister toward the face of a 14-year-old student, fracturing their jaw.
[Mother of the Victim: Our child is only 14 years old. Only 14.]
In another incident, a stun grenade explosion severed the left hand of a 16-year-old student, and another 16-year-old boy lost his sight after being struck in the eye by a rubber bullet.
Experts point out that not only accumulated grievances over economic hardship and inequality, but also police brutality against teenagers, have fueled the radical protests.
With another round of rallies scheduled for this coming weekend, major labor unions have announced plans to launch a general strike on November 5.
(Reported by Kim Si-nae | Video editing by Lee Seung-jin)
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