Paris police imposed an overnight curfew in two areas of the French capital on Monday following a weekend of widespread rioting, among the country's worst in years, that targeted city halls, other public buildings and thousands of businesses nationwide.

The measure aims to protect "people and property from the violence and looting," according to a statement issued by the Paris police.

Under the order, people are prohibited from entering or remaining at Place de la République, where rioting occurred on Saturday, and in the Les Halles shopping district, which has been hit by looting.

The curfew will remain in force from 11pm Monday until 6am Tuesday. Gatherings and demonstrations have also been banned from 8pm, police said.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called for curfews that would be "very limited" and "localized".

In northern France, local authorities imposed curfews on children and teenagers under 18 in several cities, including Lille, from 8pm to 6am starting Monday and continuing for the next two days. Nice, on the French Riviera, also introduced an overnight curfew for minors from 9pm.

Lecornu defended the police response to the unrest, saying that "despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle."

He said details of the curfews would be announced later Monday following consultations with mayors.

Mass protests in France have frequently been accompanied by violence on the fringes of otherwise peaceful demonstrations, resulting in clashes with police. Saturday's unrest brought back memories of the riots following the fatal police shooting of a teenager in 2023, when local curfews were imposed, as well as violence during the Yellow Vest movement that began in 2018 over fuel prices and broader economic grievances.

Macron rejects interior minister's resignation

The prime minister's instructions came after Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered to resign on Sunday. President Emmanuel Macron rejected the offer, citing "the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context," according to a statement from Macron's office on Monday.

Macron instructed Nuñez "to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence," the statement said.

He also called for "new policing tactics on the ground as quickly as possible" to bring the violence to an end.

On Sunday evening, groups set fire to rubbish bins, bicycles and other objects in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities. The incidents followed nationwide protests on Saturday against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

At least 2,400 people were arrested across the country, while authorities estimated on Monday that at least 3,000 businesses had been damaged or looted in several cities.

In Marseille, the prefect banned protests and other gatherings from noon to 8pm on Monday.

"I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that is happening," Nuñez told France Inter radio.

"Now 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," he said.

Nuñez blamed the violence on "hordes of troublemakers and looters" and "far-left activists", adding that police tactics needed to be adjusted to deal with "extremely mobile groups".

Authorities said groups of hundreds of people had sought confrontations with police and attacked public buildings, including city halls and other government offices.

Shopkeepers assess damage

Nuñez acknowledged that authorities had "lost control" in some major cities during Saturday's unrest.

"You can't look shopkeepers in the eye when hundreds of businesses have been looted and say we haven't lost control in some of these major cities," he said.

In Limoges, central France, flames engulfed the city's 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building.

On Monday, cleanup crews and firefighters removed shattered glass and other debris from the streets of Paris.

Ouri Zagoury, who owns a video game shop near Place de la République, said he closed his store on Saturday afternoon but later watched through surveillance cameras as looters forced their way inside.

"There were so many people coming in and out. And even though I called the police, they said not to intervene, that they would come, but they never did, which is another problem," Zagoury said.

Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party, blamed the government for failing to prevent the violence.

"The government has failed, the head of state has failed in his essential duty of protecting the French people," he told reporters at the party's headquarters.

"I call on the people of France now, beyond their right to protest, to use their voting power," Bardella said.

He is campaigning alongside far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose polling figures have suggested for months that she is the front-runner in next spring's presidential election.