President Trump called on France Monday to shut its borders to the rest of Europe after a weekend of rioting that resulted in at least 2,400 arrests and left major cities in turmoil.
“The migrants have taken over France,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They must CLOSE THE BORDERS, FAST!”
The unrest, initially linked to frustration over the education system and the rising cost of living, was marked by the involvement of far-left activists and second-generation immigrant youths. Groups raided luxury retailers and other businesses in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Lille and elsewhere.
On Monday, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he had directed city prefects to introduce “very limited” and “localized” curfews. He also defended police against criticism that authorities had lost control of the streets.
“On Saturday, despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle,” Lecornu said. He added that further details about the curfews would be announced later Monday.
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In Marseille, a port city with a large North African immigrant population, the prefect prohibited protests and other gatherings from noon until 8 p.m. local time Monday.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez submitted his resignation Sunday, but President Emmanuel Macron asked him to remain in office “given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context,” according to a statement from the Élysée Palace. The statement also directed Nuñez to “ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence.”
“I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that is happening,” Nuñez told France Inter radio. “The real issue is ensuring that this doesn’t happen again … We obviously need to be better at anticipating the kind of mobilization that is unfolding.”
Unlike Lecornu, Nuñez acknowledged that authorities had “obviously” lost control “in some of these major cities.” He said officials could not credibly tell shopkeepers otherwise “when hundreds of businesses have been looted.”
France and 28 other European nations belong to the Schengen Area, a free-movement zone where identity checks are not routinely conducted on people arriving from member countries.
With Post wires
