Police has banned any gathering that might provoke disorder in Paris this weekend, saying they had been warned violence was planned tomorrow after two weeks of rioting across France.
Ten vehicles were burnt in the southwestern city of Toulouse this evening, local authorities said, in the sixteenth consecutive night of civil unrest.
The intensity of France's most serious unrest in four decades has dropped since President Jacques Chirac's government adopted emergency measures including curfews on Tuesday to curb unrest by youngsters complaining of racism and unemployment.
But there was a rise in violence in suburbs of the capital last night. Police said 463 vehicles were set on fire across France, a slight fall from the previous night, but the number of vehicles torched in the areas around Paris rose from 84 to 111.
Police said the Paris ban would run from 10.00am tomorrow to 8.00am on Sunday.
"To prevent trouble and public disorder ... the police prefect has decided to ban ... all meetings of a provocative or threatening nature on the streets or in public places," a statement said.
Some 3,000 police officers were mobilised in the capital, and forces were increased in other French cities, police said.
Bomb squads with police dogs were out in force and riot police looked on as Mr Chirac attended remembrance ceremonies at the Arc de Triomphe in central Paris to commemorate Armistice Day, which marks the end of World War I in 1918.
The unrest has eased from a peak on Sunday night. Police hope it will continue to drop during the Armistice Day weekend, when offices close and city centres are less crowded.
Some 200 to 300 residents of riot-torn suburbs staged a peace protest by the Eiffel Tower in Paris today, calling for an end to violence and urging the government to listen to the angry youths. Fewer people showed up than expected.
Violence in the Paris area has been largely confined to the suburban housing estates far from the city centre. The rioters are youngsters who say they are angered by racism, high unemployment, poor prospects and harsh treatment by police.
In the capital itself, life has continued as usual.
Mr Chirac and the government have been heavily criticised over their handling of the crisis. But an opinion poll carried out by the BVA research group last week showed 56 per cent of French people approved of Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy's tough actions.