France bans unauthorised protests after weekend violence

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 13:15 · Archive

French authorities have banned protests in multiple cities after weekend looting and clashes.

Demonstrations planned for Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble have been banned after weekend violence in France's most severe unrest in years. Groups of masked youth clashed with police, looted shops and torched cars. Night curfews have been implemented in Paris and other cities. The Paris police prefecture said the ban, which applies to areas including the Elysée presidential palace, parliament and main train stations, was necessary given the risk of street violence that erupted over the weekend.

President Emmanuel Macron has instructed local authorities to ban Saturday protests except those organised by unions. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said elite tactical police units and a military counterterrorism unit would be mobilised this weekend. Macron said authorities may offer 'alternative routes' to ensure maximum security.

High school and university student groups say they will continue to mobilise despite the bans. Saturday's planned protests are expected to be joined by activists from the 'yellow vest' movement, which staged major demonstrations over fuel prices in 2018 and 2019. Hundreds of thousands demonstrated last week while thousands of businesses and public buildings were affected by vandalism and looting. The government has been accused of underestimating demonstrator numbers and failing to deploy sufficient police.

How it is being reported

• REPLAY: French President vows to prevent violence ahead of protestsFrench President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Thursday after a meeting with security chiefs. He said that "illegitimate" protests would be banned in coming days, while those from organised groups such as unions would be offered alternative paths for the marches to protect businesses.France 24 · 22 Oct, 14:04
• French weekend protests to be limited to union demos only, says MacronSome cities including Lyon and Nice have banned all protests, and the French president said only authorised demos would be allowed.BBC News · 22 Oct, 14:02
• Non-union protests to be banned Saturday in France, Macron saysDemonstrations have been banned outright in Lyon ahead of a planned day of protests at the weekend.Politico Europe · 22 Oct, 13:00
• French authorities ban some student protests after weekend looting and clashesFrench authorities have banned protests planned for Thursday in multiple cities after a weekend of violent unrestIndependent World · 22 Oct, 10:50

In this story: Emmanuel Macron · Sébastien Lecornu · Laurent Nuñez · France · Paris · Lyon · Lille · Grenoble

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