Curfew for minors: the executive branch will not oppose the decisions of mayors

Is this a formal management position? In our file on these mayors who set nightly curfews for minors or those under 13, with the stated aim of combating insecurity and violence, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s entourage had no official position to give to Parisien-Aujourduy . in France on Tuesday.

But this Wednesday, following a meeting of the Council of Ministers, a government representative declared the freedom of decisions of mayors as a principle. “We have a responsibility to fully trust local elected officials in their ability to know their territory intimately,” began Prisca Thévenot. “In this regard, the government’s position is clear: we will not oppose decisions taken by local authorities when they are taken in close cooperation with prefects.

Recent tragic incidents of violence between young people appear to have put an end to the debate: after Guadeloupe imposed a curfew aimed at curbing violence by minors, Pointe-à-Pitre has been on the long beach for a month from 8pm to 5pm. In the morning, the mayor of Béziers (Hérault), Robert Menard, who is close to the far right, also introduced a ban on going out at night for those under 13, as he had already done in 2014 before his decree was overturned by the Council of State. .

“Any minor under the age of 13 may not travel unaccompanied by an adult between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. on public roads” in the city’s three “districts” until Sept. 30, municipal bylaws say.

The mayor of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) Christian Estrosi, number two in Edouard Philippe’s party, promised to do the same. His decision came the day after Gabriel Attal’s trip to Nice, promising a “surge of power” in the face of “little violence”.

According to the “first snapshot of crime and insecurity in 2023”, published at the beginning of 2024 by the Ministry of the Interior, people under the age of 13 account for only 2% of those involved in attacks against people in France (compared to 36% of those who are aged 30 to 44) and 1% of those accused of violent theft (compared to 44% of those aged 18 to 29). In terms of solutions, the President of the Republic asked his government last Wednesday to launch large-scale consultations to find effective responses to the “emergence of ultra-violence”, especially among the youngest, after several tragic events involving minors.