France bans protests in major cities as authorities brace for new unrest

PARIS, France (AP) — Protests planned in several French cities for Thursday were banned, with more bans expected in the coming days after a weekend of clashes and widespread looting marked France’s most violent unrest in years.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the measures aim to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings.

The ban on demonstrations planned Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble was seen by some as an infringement on French people’s right to protest.

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But high school and university student groups said they will continue to mobilize, even though the autumn school break started this week.

Macron said the strategy adopted for the coming days is to ban protests requested by “individuals or groups with no legitimate authority.” His remarks came after a special security meeting at the Elysée Palace.

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“Where trade unions submit requests to hold demonstrations, prefects will examine them in accordance with the law, but alternative routes will be proposed” to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings, Macron said.

“The rules are simple, and I think they’re just common sense. The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations in the coming days,” he said. “For those who still want to protest, if they are trade unions, prefects will propose alternative routes.”

Macron blamed the weekend’s violence on “actions led by radical far-left groups who aimed to bring the Republic down,” in addition to criminals who came to loot.

The turmoil in Paris and other French cities has prompted a strong security response from the government. Night curfews have been implemented in some areas of the French capital, as well as in other cities where calm has been restored.

The Paris police prefecture said Thursday’s ban was necessary given the risk of street violence that erupted over the weekend, when groups of masked youth clashed with police forces, looted shops and torched cars.

The ban in Paris will last until 8 p.m. local time and apply to areas including the Elysée presidential palace, both houses of parliament, and the city’s main train stations. Areas in downtown Paris which were severely hit by the looting are also covered.

Authorities are bracing for another big protest day

Thursday’s planned protests were seen as a prelude to Saturday’s big demonstration, when activists from the “ yellow vest ” movement, whose demonstrations over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019, and the CGT labor union, are expected to join.

Some of those protests, including marches in Lyon, will also be banned, local authorities said.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met union representatives on Wednesday, said a “massive” security operation was planned for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence by groups of rioters that had exposed shortcomings in security measures.

Union representatives said their meeting with Lecornu did not result in concrete proposals. They are now focusing on another big day of action scheduled on November 5, and called on private and public sector employees to join.

From student protests to a broader social movement

The demonstrations first erupted last month in a high school in Creteil, southeast of Paris, over a lack of staff. From there, class strikes, blockades and demonstrations spread to other Paris suburbs and then nationwide, even in smaller towns.

High school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods. Some also called for a reform of the university admissions system, seen by many as complex and unfair.

With the government unable to respond to students’ demands, the school demonstrations and blockades have morphed into larger protests over soaring living costs, just months before next year’s presidential election to choose Macron’s successor.

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