The Annex: two Paris orders, read line by line

Today’s annex is the pair of orders the Paris prefect of police signed on Monday, as read and summarised by actu.fr¹, with the prefecture’s own wording relayed by franceinfo and Le Figaro^2,3.

What the first order does. It bans movement from 23:00 on Monday 19 October to 06:00 on Tuesday 20 October in two precisely drawn zones: the central esplanade of Place de la République, and a sector around Les Halles that includes Place Maurice-Quentin, rue Berger and stretches of rue Rambuteau and boulevard de Sébastopol¹. It applies to everyone, not only minors, the prefecture said².

Who is exempt. Residents who can prove their address “par tout moyen”, people who must reach the zone for work, shopkeepers and the emergency services¹. There is no general exemption for walkers, tourists or people simply crossing at night¹.

What a breach costs. A fourth-class contravention under article R. 644-5-1 of the penal code: a €135 fixed fine, up to €750 if a court hears it¹. That is a ticket, not a prison sentence.

What the second order does. It bans undeclared processions and gatherings from 20:00 on Monday to 06:00 on Tuesday in a wider set of areas, including République, Les Halles, the Champs-Élysées and several main stations¹. Organising a banned or undeclared demonstration carries up to six months and €7,500 under article 431-9 — a penalty aimed at organisers, not at everyone present¹. Inside the perimeters, carrying weapons, fireworks and some flammable products without legitimate reason is also banned¹.

The reasons it gives. The orders cite 855 arrests on Saturday and 351 more on Sunday, 314 members of the security forces injured over the two days, and 36 shops damaged on Sunday, 33 of them looted¹. The prefecture’s public line: the measures are needed “pour rétablir la paix publique”³.

What happened. A quarter of an hour into the curfew, Le Figaro’s reporter found Châtelet-les-Halles calm, police taping off the perimeter and asking people to leave “en raison d’un arrêté préfectoral”³. France 24’s overnight summary described curfews in force on Monday night in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Nice, in parts of each city only⁴. Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, asked whether it would work, said “Je n’en sais rien”, warning of “effets de déport” into other districts².

The reading. Both orders end at 06:00 today unless the prefecture decides otherwise¹. That is the virtue of the document: one night, two named zones, listed exemptions, a stated fine and stated reasons. You can check every line of it — including whether it is renewed tonight.