Paris police restrict gatherings at central sites as France braces for protests
Gatherings are barred at the Élysée Palace, Bastille Square and other central Paris locations on Thursday. President Emmanuel Macron also rebuked foreign leaders over their claims about the unrest.
Paris police have announced a ban on gatherings at several central sites on Thursday, October 22, as France prepares for further protests. Deutsche Welle reported that the restrictions cover the Élysée presidential palace, Bastille Square, both houses of parliament and tourist areas including the Louvre and Champs-Élysées. The measures affect people planning to assemble at those locations.
The ban is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, Deutsche Welle reported. It comes ahead of large-scale protests expected in Paris over the weekend. The announced hours describe the planned restriction; its enforcement and effect on turnout remain to be seen.
Macron challenges foreign leaders’ accounts of the unrest
During a visit to Qatar on Wednesday, October 21, President Emmanuel Macron said manipulation of information about the unrest had prompted comments from foreign leaders that were ‘as unacceptable as they are stupid.’ Asked whether he was referring to US President Donald Trump, Macron replied, ‘Among others,’ according to Deutsche Welle and The Guardian.
The Guardian reported that Trump had blamed the violence on ‘migrants, jihadists and communists’ while campaigning ahead of US midterm elections. Macron accused some foreign leaders of using France’s unrest for their own political campaigns. He did not name them in his initial remarks, The Guardian reported.
Macron also said AI-generated images had depicted scenes that never happened in France. He rejected claims that the country had been invaded by migrants and Islamists, Deutsche Welle reported. His account of manipulated images is an allegation by the president; the origin and extent of any manipulation have not been independently established in that report.
How the unrest reached this point
The unrest began with student protests over high prices and demands for education reform, according to Deutsche Welle. It escalated last weekend when masked rioters looted shops and clashed with police. The Guardian reported that the government acknowledged losing control during widespread rioting on Saturday, October 17.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Monday that authorities had failed to anticipate the scale of the violence and had ‘lost control,’ Deutsche Welle reported. The government now faces further demonstrations while police impose the site-specific limits in central Paris. Macron has urged a distinction between protesters and vandals.
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Sources and context
- France bans protests in parts of Paris as Macron slams Trump commentDeutsche Welle
- Macron accuses Trump and other foreign leaders of ‘stupid comments’ about France unrestThe Guardian
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.