France, stained by violent protests over the past weekend, is implementing partial regional curfews for the second consecutive day on October 20 (local time).

The French government also decided to deploy a massive security force, including military personnel, for the upcoming protests scheduled for October 24.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated on X (formerly Twitter) on the morning of October 20 (local time) that "the curfews imposed in specific areas last night helped calm the situation," adding that "there will be new curfew measures in places where needed tonight."

Lecornu added, "Decisions on curfews will be made on the ground by local prefects in consultation with mayors."

Paris police announced that the second curfew in the capital would begin at 9 p.m. that day.

Across France on October 17, an estimated 500,000 people held large-scale protests to protest against a lack of investment in public sectors such as education and high inflation.

The protests turned violent as some participants set fire to public facilities, looted shops, and vandalized property.

The looting continued into the night of October 18.

In response, the French government recommended restrictive measures such as curfews in various regions, and partial curfews were enforced overnight on October 20 in Paris and the northern city of Lille.

The southwestern city of Bordeaux and the southern city of Nice announced they would maintain curfews for several days.

According to AFP, a helicopter shone its lights from the sky over Place de la République in Paris, where a curfew was in effect from the night of October 19 to the early hours of October 20, to monitor compliance.

In Lyon, although a ban on gatherings was issued, about 500 people gathered in front of the local tourist office building.

The organizers stated that the building, which suffered arson damage during the weekend protests, was gathered around with candles to show solidarity with local merchants who suffered from looting.

French authorities and local governments maintain their stance of responding firmly without lowering their guard.

The day before, the "Yellow Vest" movement warned that "Act 2" of the protests would take place on October 24.

David Lisnard, the mayor of Cannes, said on RTL Radio, "It is pleasing that the situation calmed down last night, but we expect the next wave to come."

According to AFP, AP, and Reuters, Prime Minister Lecornu stated that a "massive" number of police forces would be deployed for the protests on October 24, with the goal of "immediately restoring order."

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told parliament, "We will deploy Sentinelle [military counter-terrorism operation] troops as replacements for internal security forces," adding, "This is to allow police and gendarmerie forces to focus on maintaining order."

Paris police announced a temporary ban across France on carrying bottles or cans containing oil or gas, as well as firecrackers.

Wearing protective gear such as helmets was also banned in zones near high schools and universities.

It is estimated that about 3,000 stores suffered damage nationwide due to the violence.

According to Bloomberg, the head of global insurance at Morningstar DBRS estimated in a report that the economic cost of the unrest ranges between 1 billion and 1.2 billion euros (approximately 1.5 trillion to 1.8 trillion won).

In a statement issued the previous day, the Paris Merchants Association urged government action, stating, "It is not normal that we have to hire private security firms to protect the safety of our facilities," and "Paris and our neighborhoods represent the image of France, and incidents like this are ruining our country's reputation."

Patrick Martin, president of the French Movement of Enterprises (MEDEF), denounced the state for failing to respond to the riots.

French Economy Minister Roland Lescure held a meeting on October 20 with business groups, banks, and the insurance industry, promising to come up with measures to support damaged merchants.

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin stated that as of noon that day, 149 people remained in custody.

Since October 17, 2,500 people had been arrested and about 800 referred to prosecutors.

Most of them faced summary trials or were ordered to appear at future hearings.

In the northern city of Lille, three men aged 20 to 25 with no criminal records faced immediate summary trials for looting a video game store in the old town, receiving 10-month prison sentences and being imprisoned immediately, according to Minister Darmanin.

French authorities also arrested a man suspected of setting fire to the Limoges city hall.

The image of the entire roof of the Limoges city hall engulfed in flames became a symbolic image of the violent protests on October 17, sending shockwaves through France and beyond.

AFP reported that the suspect is believed to have been linked to the ultra-left movement and monitored as a potential security threat.

As chaos grows in France due to fiscal instability, protests, and violence, French government bond prices continue to fall.

The yield on 10-year French government bonds rose to 4.96% during trading on October 20, and the yield spread between 10-year French and German bonds widened beyond 1.5 percentage points to 1.54 percentage points.

Earlier this month, as fiscal instability spread rapidly, French government bonds climbed to 4.9937%, their highest level since July 2002, with the yield gap with German bonds widening to 1.59 percentage points—levels close to those seen now.

Recently, French bond values have been on a downward trend amid overlapping factors such as a surge in France's public debt, expanding fiscal deficits, and political division casting doubt on budget passage.

Market anxiety has further escalated following last weekend's massive protests demanding increased public sector investment and the ensuing violence.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)