France imposes nighttime curfews after violent protests

Well that's it on the Place de la République square here in central Paris. The curfew has come into effect. You can see there is tape that's been put around the square over there police officers. We were just speaking to them and they said they're going to be here all evening. It is the first time that such a curfew has been put in place in a part of Paris since COVID in 2020. It is just in this square and another area a little further away in the city. What the French government are hoping to do is stop people from gathering here in large numbers because they believe that will reduce any risk of trouble. They're trying to restore calm in the country. But look, we've been speaking to lots of young people who enjoy coming to this square to hang out, and they say, look, it's simply unfair. I don't know how it'll work. The police just told me they're overwhelmed and they don't seem to know. I feel for them, but it's hard for us, too, because we want to have the right to speak out, but we're not allowed. Well, this is also a square, of course, where people come to protest, demonstrate, exchange ideas. There are often gatherings here. And we just spoke to a young activist who said he likes to come here and meet people, but he now feels that that right is being taken away. Everything we see here, the police violence or the way that protesters' demands are treated by the government, they are all techniques being used against Palestinian people too. The curfew will run from 11 o'clock at night until 6 o'clock in the morning. Anyone, though, trying to cross this road and go to the square could be fined 150 dollars. Sasha Bala, Al Jazeera, Paris.