French PM Lecornu says intelligence warns ultra-left network could try to disrupt or prevent presidential election

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Monday that intelligence services had identified an ultra-left network seeking to sustain serious disorder in France through the presidential election and potentially challenge the election timetable or even the holding of the vote itself.

“It has now been demonstrated that there is an ultra-left movement that wants to organize disorder — not to say something even more serious — profound disorder in the country until the presidential election,” Lecornu said after chairing an interministerial crisis meeting on October 19.

“I believe this was clearly communicated to us by the intelligence services this morning,” he said. “There is an entire network that could even mobilize to challenge the timetable of the presidential election, and even the holding of the presidential election itself.”

Lecornu said the government would protect the democratic process, including the personal security of presidential candidates.

“We cannot allow violent minorities to impose an agenda of violence and prevent us from holding this election,” he said.

The prime minister also said he had asked prefects to impose partial, localized curfews on Monday night in areas affected by unrest.

“We have chaos, to put it crudely — forgive the expression — that is very localized in urban centers,” Lecornu said. “I have asked the prefects to introduce a number of curfews for tonight. Partial curfews.”

He said one objective was to protect people and property, particularly businesses.

Lecornu also announced a large judicial operation to identify people involved in looting and violence from images and videos. He said nearly 200 investigators in the Paris area alone would examine footage.

“You may have noticed on social media that many looters are geniuses,” he said. “They had the brilliant idea of not wearing a hood or a mask.”

Lecornu said nobody was killed during Saturday’s violence despite serious attacks and destruction.

“Although we saw very difficult scenes of violence against property, nobody was killed, and that is a miracle,” he said. “It is a miracle that the toll was not higher.”

He said arrests were resulting in a judicial-action rate of almost 80%, adding that roughly two-thirds of those detained were adults, almost all were men and many were already known to police.

France has faced days of unrest following the October 17 demonstrations over the cost of living and public services. The Interior Ministry said around 550,000 people took part nationwide, while violence, looting and attacks on public buildings broke out in several cities.