French PM Blames 'Ultra-Left' for Protests, Plans Curfews
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France is facing serious unrest, with protests breaking out in several cities across the country.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has blamed 'ultra-left' groups for 'exploiting' the protests for their own purposes. He did not give more details about these groups.
Police have arrested around 2,400 people across the country during the demonstrations. The scale of the arrests shows how widespread the unrest has become.
President Emmanuel Macron has also commented on the situation, criticising what he called 'unbridled violence' taking place during the protests.
In response, Lecornu announced that new measures will come into effect starting tonight. These measures include partial curfews in affected areas, meaning people will not be allowed outside during certain hours.
The French government hopes these steps will help restore order and reduce the level of violence on the streets.
The situation remains tense, and it is unclear how protesters will respond to the new restrictions. Officials say they are monitoring developments closely as the crisis continues to unfold.
Vocabulary10 words
- ultra-left
- a political group with very extreme left-wing ideas
- exploiting
- using a situation unfairly for personal gain
- Macron
- the current president of France
- unbridled violence
- violence that is not controlled or limited
- measures
- actions taken to deal with a problem
- curfews
- rules requiring people to stay indoors during set hours
- government
- the group of people who officially run a country
- unrest
- a state of trouble, anger, or disorder among people
- demonstrations
- public events where people show their opinions
- restrictions
- official limits on what people can do
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Ultra-left groups 2. To help restore order and reduce violence 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
France is facing serious unrest, with _____ breaking out in several cities across the country.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has blamed 'ultra-left' groups for '_____' the protests for their own purposes.
Police have arrested around _____ people across the country during the demonstrations.
President Emmanuel Macron has also commented on the situation, criticising what he called '_____' taking place during the protests.
Lecornu announced that new measures will come into effect starting _____.
These measures include partial _____ in affected areas, meaning people will not be allowed outside during certain hours.
The French government hopes these steps will help restore _____ and reduce the level of violence on the streets.
Officials say they are _____ developments closely as the crisis continues to unfold.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think protests sometimes turn violent?
- Do you think curfews are an effective way to control unrest? Why or why not?
- How might blaming a specific political group affect public opinion?
- What responsibilities do you think governments have during times of civil unrest?
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