French police on alert in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - Thousands of French police were patrolling central Paris overnight to enforce a ban on large gatherings and prevent urban unrest reaching the heart of the capital.

Police said they had monitored calls for violence on internet sites and that potential targets included the Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower.

In a sign of concern after violence rose slightly on the 16th night of clashes, regional authorities for the first time declared a curfew for minors in France's second city of Lyon for Saturday and Sunday night.

Security forces used tear gas in Lyon on Saturday afternoon to disperse around 50 youths in the city centre who attacked stalls and damaged vehicles, witnesses said.

Rioting by youngsters angered by unemployment, racism and lack of opportunities has generally dropped in intensity since President Jacques Chirac's government announced emergency measures on Tuesday which included curfews.

But the number of cars set ablaze by rioters rose slightly again on Friday night, and two fire bombs were thrown at a mosque in southern France, damaging the entrance.

Some 502 vehicles were set ablaze across France, compared to 463 the previous night, and unrest hit areas including Strasbourg, Marseille, Lyon and Lille. But there were fewer incidents of violence in the Paris suburbs, police said.

"We've gone back to an almost normal situation in Ile de France (greater Paris region)," national police service chief Michel Gaudin told reporters.

But warning of violence in the capital, he said: "One can easily imagine the places where we must be very vigilant."

The Paris ban on large gatherings went into force at 10am (10pm NZT) and was due to run until 8am on Sunday (9pm NZT). The heart of the city has largely escaped the violence that has plagued impoverished neighbourhoods just outside the city.

Three thousand extra police were brought into Paris on Friday, the Armistice holiday marking the end of World War One, and riot police have been patrolling important areas, buildings and suburban trains since then.

Police detained 206 people during the night when youngsters attacked a primary school in Savigny-Le-Temple, southeast of Paris, and destroyed its creche.

Two shops were destroyed in Rambouillet, southwest of Paris, and a person on a scooter threw two fire bombs at a mosque in the southern town of Carpentras before fleeing.

There was no major damage and no one was hurt but Chirac, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFSM) swiftly condemned the attack.

"We firmly ask the authorities in particular to protect our mosques, which seem to be becoming the target of violent demonstrations and provocations," the CFSM said.

Police said it was not clear if it was a racist act or an act of provocation.

The top government regional official for the Lyon region announced a curfew for minors on Saturday and Sunday nights from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. in Lyon and 10 communities near the city. Violence in the area rose overnight.

The unrest was triggered by the accidental deaths of two youths who were electrocuted on October 27 as they hid in a power substation just north of Paris while apparently fleeing police. It later spread to other cities and towns across France.

Chirac and the government have been heavily criticised over their handling of the rioting, involving white youths as well as French citizens of Arab and African origin.

- REUTERS