French weekend protests to be limited to union demos only, says Macron
Some cities including Lyon and Nice have banned all protests, and the French president said only authorised demos would be allowed.
French weekend protests to be limited to union demos only, says Macron
The tourism office in Lyon was set on fire during protests last weekend, the city has banned all demonstrations this Saturday
Only protests authorised by unions will be permitted in French towns and cities on Saturday, President Emmanuel Macron said after demonstrations nationwide turned violent last weekend.
As some cities, including Lyon and Nice, introduced total bans, Macron said “illegitimate” protests would not be allowed, while unions would be given alternative routes so businesses could be safeguarded.
Large rallies against the high cost of living and school conditions were overshadowed last Saturday by riots and looting that left businesses and historic buildings damaged.
Interior Minister Jean-Didier Berger said law enforcement would be 20% higher than last weekend, after the government promised a “massive” police deployment.
At least 2,500 people have been arrested across France since the unrest began, and Macron met intelligence services and ministers on Thursday to prepare for the next national day of protests on Saturday.
“The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations. Those who want to continue to demonstrate, when they are trade union organisations, will have alternative routes proposed by the prefects,” the French president said. “When they're not union organisations, wherever possible, they'll be banned.”
He criticised what he described as “political and even seditious acts organised by far-left groups that aim to bring down the Republic”.
Curfews were introduced in several cities after the weekend rioting, and Macron said the government wanted a return to calm.
The gilets jaunes (yellow-vest) movement was behind many of last weekend’s protests, and Paris authorities have said several of the planned marches have been banned.
In Lyon, France’s third-largest city, regional authorities have imposed a blanket ban on demonstrations.
“In light of the mobilisation that is circulating and in view of the events of 17 October, the prefect has decided to prohibit by decree any demonstration in the city of Lyon this Saturday,” the Rhône prefecture said in a statement.
Similar announcements have been made in Toulon on the south coast, the centre of Rouen in the north-west, and Grenoble in the east.
Partial curfews, variously limiting the movement of young people and gatherings, have been in force this week in cities including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Lyon in the south, as well as Lille and other towns in the north.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promised a “massive” deployment of police officers this week to handle any unrest this weekend, but some officers have told French media they are not trained to deal with large crowds.
Unrest spread across several French cities last weekend, including the capital Paris.
Around 550,000 thousand people took part in demonstrations on 17 October to protest rising fuel prices and the cost of living, which have escalated after weeks of student protests.
The marches were largely peaceful and took place in several major French cities, including Paris, with support from unions, gilets jaunes and student groups. But they were marred by scenes of violence, looting and destruction.
Lyon’s tourism office was set on fire by demonstrators during last weekend’s protests.
Mayor Grégory Doucet said the burning of the office, located in a 19th-Century building, was “a tragedy”.
In the city of Limoges, the clock tower and parts of the roof of the ornate city hall were engulfed in flames before collapsing on Saturday.
A second suspect aged 66 was arrested on Thursday, after a man in his 30s was detained on suspicion of the attempted murder of police officers who were in the city hall when the fire started.
The iconic Place de la République was vandalised in the capital, Paris, when groups of rioters took over parts of the city, causing havoc.
After the unrest, France’s interior minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation, which President Macron rejected.
The Élysée Palace instead asked him to examine how to make France’s streets safer and bring rioters to justice.
Nuñez said his teams had predicted 200,000 demonstrators, far fewer than the 550,000 estimated to have gathered.
The unrest comes as Macron enters the final months of his presidency, with elections scheduled for 18 April and 1 May next year.