The interior ministry says the level of violence appears to have declined compared to previous nights, as 45,000 police are deployed overnight.
French authorities made hundreds of arrests on the fifth night of unrest sparked by the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old, but reports from across the country indicated that rioting was much less intense.
A total of 486 people had been arrested across the country by 3am on Sunday, French interior minister said, adding that the level of violence appeared to have declined since rioting first broke out over the death of Nahel M in a Paris suburb on Tuesday. Nahel, who had Algerian and Moroccan parents, was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop.
“A calmer night thanks to the resolute action of the security forces,” tweeted the French interior minister early on Sunday.
He told reporters earlier that 45,000 members of the security forces would be deployed overnight Saturday into Sunday – the same number as the night before. Extra forces and equipment were sent to Lyon, Grenoble and Marseille, which saw intense rioting on Friday night.
In Paris and its nearby regions, where about 7,000 officers were out in force, 126 people had been arrested by 1.30am Sunday.
Police increased security at the city’s landmark Champs Elysees avenue after a call on social media to gather there. The street, usually packed with tourists, was lined with security forces carrying out spot checks.
The biggest flashpoint was in Marseille where police fired teargas and fought street battles with youths around the city centre late into the night. However, by midnight, authorities in Marseille and Lyon were reporting fewer incidents than the previous night, with 56 and 21 people arrested in the two cities, respectively.
Local authorities all over the country announced bans on demonstrations, ordered public transport to stop running in the evening and some imposed overnight curfews.
Rioters rammed a car into the home of the mayor of a town south of Paris, injuring his wife and one of his children, the mayor said on Twitter.
On Saturday, president Emmanuel Macron postponed a state visit to Germany that was due to begin on Sunday to handle the worst crisis for his leadership since the “Yellow Vest” protests paralysed much of France in late 2018. Macron recently faced months of anger and sometimes violent demonstrations across the country after pushing through a pension overhaul.
