France has imposed overnight curfews in parts of Paris and several other cities following widespread rioting and looting during protests over education, living costs and deteriorating public services.
President Emmanuel Macron rejected Interior Minister Laurent Nunez's resignation after the minister acknowledged serious failures in the police response to the violence.
Paris authorities introduced restrictions between 23:00 and 06:00 in Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping district, alongside bans on unauthorised gatherings elsewhere in the city centre.
Partial curfews were also announced in Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon and Lille.
The unrest followed weeks of student demonstrations over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and education funding.
The movement subsequently expanded to include trade unions and groups protesting rising fuel prices, living costs and declining public services.
Approximately 550,000 people participated in Saturday's demonstrations, which escalated into arson, looting and attacks on government buildings.
More than 2,500 people were arrested, while approximately 1,000 police officers were injured.
One demonstrator reportedly lost a hand after being struck by a police crowd-control grenade.
In Limoges, rioters set fire to the historic city hall, causing its roof and clock tower to collapse.
Nunez acknowledged that police had "lost control" in some cities and admitted inadequate preparation despite deploying approximately 60,000 security personnel nationwide.
Macron rejected his resignation to maintain operational continuity and demanded transparency regarding intelligence and planning failures.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu authorised local mayors to impose curfews where necessary and did not rule out a state of emergency.
The government also announced recovery assistance and financial support for workers affected by business closures.
France's Chambers of Commerce and Industry reported that more than 2,000 businesses were affected, estimating losses at hundreds of millions of euros.
Authorities assigned 200 investigators to examine surveillance footage and identify suspected organisers.
Meanwhile, political tensions intensified after Lecornu accused certain groups of encouraging disorder, prompting opposition leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon to demand evidence.
The United States, China and Germany issued travel warnings advising their citizens to avoid affected areas.