Authorities across France have issued a series of bans on public gatherings and demonstrations scheduled for Thursday, citing serious risks of public disorder following violent clashes and looting that marred last weekend’s social mobilization.
Paris Police Crack Down on Protests
In the capital, the Paris police prefecture issued an order prohibiting gatherings and demonstrations in several key sectors of the city between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday. The restricted zones include the areas around the Élysée Palace, Matignon, the National Assembly, and the Senate, as well as major tourist destinations such as the Champs-Élysées, the Louvre Museum, and the grand department stores district.
The ban also covers Place d’Italie, Place de la Bastille, Place de la République, the Châtelet-Les Halles commercial area, Île de la Cité, and all Paris train stations.
Earlier in the day, the police prefecture had already prohibited a demonstration declared by Interfac IDF, a student organization representing Paris-region universities, which had planned a route from Boulevard de l’Hôpital to Place de la Bastille. Authorities cited “the organizer’s inability to prevent excesses” during rallies on October 13 and 17, and the need to “guarantee the safety of property and people.”
Interfac IDF condemned what it called the government’s “choice of police and administrative repression” and announced it would challenge the ban before the Paris administrative court.
Regional Bans Across France
The Rhône prefect banned a Thursday afternoon demonstration in Lyon organized by the UNEF student union and the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA). Prefect Étienne Guyot stated he made the “responsible choice” to prohibit the gathering “given the serious risks to public order and the current context, to avoid any overflow and guarantee everyone’s safety.”
The organizers’ planned route would have ended at Place Bellecour, where violence erupted Saturday during a demonstration against the high cost of living, including the burning of a tourism office branch.
In Grenoble, the Isère prefect issued a similar order banning “any gathering, assembly, demonstration or procession” from 6 a.m. Thursday within a defined perimeter to “preserve the hyper-center and this part of central Grenoble that was extremely hard hit during the day of the 17th.”
All gatherings and “protest demonstrations” are also prohibited in large areas of Lille and the neighboring commune of Wattignies on Thursday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to a prefectural decree published Wednesday.
Saturday Restrictions Already Announced
Beyond Thursday, attention is already focused on Saturday, October 24, marked as “Act II” of the social movement that brought between 550,000 and 800,000 people into the streets on October 17, with the day ending in scenes of violence and looting.
In several cities, demonstrations have already been banned for Saturday. In Rouen and Le Havre, gatherings will be prohibited between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m., following “the urban violence that occurred in Rouen and Le Havre, as in many other French cities” on October 17.
In the southern city of Toulon, “demonstrations, processions, parades and protest gatherings” will be banned in the city center on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., announced Var prefect Simon Babre.
In Grenoble, demonstrations in the city center have been banned until 6 a.m. Sunday, while in Le Mans, the Sarthe prefect announced a ban on “any demonstration until Tuesday, October 27 at 8 a.m.” in the city center.
Uncertainty Over Paris Saturday Rally
However, no information has yet been released regarding the fate of Saturday’s planned demonstration in Paris. A route was formally filed by a representative of the October 17 Yellow Vest coordination on Wednesday.
“I just sent, along with a few colleagues, a declaration to the prefecture for a route starting from Bastille and going to Opéra. The CGT Paris announced they will go to Bastille, and the Student Union as well,” Benjamin Ball, editor of a website mapping all actions planned for Saturday’s “Act II,” said Wednesday on France 2.
“And Saturday the 24th? Will all demonstrations be banned? We won’t let that happen,” promised Interfac IDF, which plans to hold a new general assembly Thursday at 6 p.m.
The Interior Ministry is expected to detail the security arrangements for Saturday on Thursday but has already planned to deploy armored vehicles, Sentinelle military forces, and elite police and gendarmerie units.
