France's October 17 violence: how far can the government go with curfews and emergency powers?

Following weekend violence and looting, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced Monday that he has asked prefects to implement targeted curfews, while not ruling out declaring a state of emergency. He stated that curfews seem more adapted to the current situation. Legal experts caution that a state of emergency requires a sufficiently degraded situation and could constitute an abuse of law if declared now. They note that the effectiveness of such exceptional measures in ending violence is difficult to measure, citing past events where the role of the state of emergency was unclear. The government has already imposed curfews in several cities, including Marseille and Lille. Experts argue that a solely security-focused response is insufficient, emphasizing the need for political solutions to address the social frustrations that can lead to delinquency.