Macron calls for limits on Saturday protests as French cities impose bans
President Emmanuel Macron said non-union protest requests should be refused for Saturday, October 24, as authorities imposed outright bans in Lyon and Marseille and restricted a Paris march.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, October 22, that local authorities should refuse requests for non-union protests on Saturday, October 24, after unrest the previous weekend. Authorities have separately banned all demonstrations that day in Lyon and Marseille, while police have restricted the route of a planned march in Paris, according to Politico Europe, France 24 and an AFP report carried by Channel NewsAsia.
Macron made the announcement after meeting Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and intelligence services. Requests to protest or gather from people with ‘no legitimacy to do so’ would be refused, he said, while union-organised demonstrations could proceed. Macron said the aim was to maintain public order and protect businesses after vandalism and looting during last weekend’s protests.
Where Saturday’s protests face restrictions
France 24 reported that authorities in Lyon and Marseille issued outright bans for Saturday. In Marseille, public transport was also suspended for the day, and an expanded city-centre curfew was set for Saturday and Sunday nights. The local orders go further than Macron’s stated exception for union-organised marches.
Paris police said a march could start at Bastille in the east of the capital but could not enter the city centre, AFP reported. Authorities may propose alternative routes for union marches, according to Politico. AFP also reported city-centre protest bans in Grenoble, Rouen, Le Havre and Toulon.
The restrictions follow mass demonstrations against the rising cost of living on October 17. AFP reported that 200 to 300 shops were looted in Lyon and a tourist office was set on fire. France’s interior ministry said it would deploy 20 per cent more police on Saturday than it did the previous weekend, according to AFP.
Organisers challenge the Paris route
The Yellow Vest movement and unions organising the rallies objected to the Paris route order, AFP reported. ‘We won’t sign off on it,’ said Benjamin Ball, who runs an online map of planned demonstrations. Student leader Coppelia Moreau criticised what she called a distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ protesters, arguing that the restrictions threatened the right to demonstrate.
A separate student protest in Paris went ahead on Thursday after an emergency court injunction overturned a police ban, with hundreds attending, AFP reported. Macron said he would chair a defence council on Friday before announcing further decisions ahead of Saturday’s demonstrations.
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Sources and context
- Macron tells local authorities to ban non-union protests on SaturdayPolitico Europe
- Live: Authorities in Lyon and Marseille ban all protests SaturdayFrance 24
- French authorities seek to ban or curb fresh protestsChannel NewsAsia (AFP)
- French authorities seek to ban or curb fresh protestsThe Hindu (AFP)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.