Troops deployed and curfews enforced to quell France riots

Troops will be deployed and new curfews imposed in a bid to restore calm in France after a weekend marred by some of the most destructive protests in years.

On Tuesday, the French government acknowledged failures in its response to the weekend's riots that saw thousands arrested amid clashes with police, cars set alight and public buildings stormed.

The government said it would reinforce police with troops and mount a huge security operation ahead of more protests planned this weekend.

"The deployment next Saturday will be massive," Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.

But he said the immediate priority was to restore order after rioting and looting swept Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities as part of the nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

After a night of relative quiet, thanks in part to curfews, new public orders were implemented in Paris around the Place de la Republique from 11pm local time on Tuesday to 6am Wednesday.

On Monday night, police emptied and guarded the Place de la Republique with a helicopter overhead. 

A ban has also been issued on any public gatherings from 8pm Tuesday in les Halles, near the presidential palace, the parliament and senate buildings, the Champs-Elysees shopping avenue, in the Vendome square where jewellery stores are located and near train stations.

In Lille, in the north, where the curfew only applied to minors, officers patrolled the city centre, checking bypassers' identities.

Marseille mayor Benoit Payan said there would also be curfews for minors around the commercial areas hardest-hit by the weekend's riots from Tuesday night.

Framing the crisis as a choice "between violence and the Republic", Mr Lecornu blamed the unrest on far-left groups, who in turn have accused the government of underestimating public anger over high living costs and declining public services.

Parliament is setting up a commission of inquiry to establish the causes of the unrest, while authorities have assigned 200 investigators to identify and track down those involved in the street violence.

Meanwhile, police have arrested a man suspected of starting a blaze that destroyed a historic town hall in the central city of Limoges during the rioting. Officials said he had been on a security watch-list and belonged to an ultra-left group.

The unrest shocked France because of both its scale and the apparent inability of police to contain it, inflaming tensions ahead of presidential elections next year with candidates from the far right and hard left performing strongly in polls.

Protests in other European countries, including Italy and Albania, have added to concerns that anger over living standards risks spreading around the continent at a time when many nations, including France, are struggling with budget woes.