French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that ‘illegitimate’ protests would be banned in the coming days. He blamed ‘seditious’ ultra-left groups and vandals for last weekend’s riots and looting, as authorities prepare for fresh demonstrations on Saturday.
‘Last Saturday we had political and seditious acts by ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic,’ Macron said after a meeting with intelligence chiefs and senior ministers, Reuters reported.
Demonstrations organised by groups such as trade unions will still be allowed, but they could be rerouted to protect businesses, he said. Macron is also due to chair a defence council meeting on Friday to decide on further measures.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Thursday that around 2,700 people had been detained since Saturday and that more than 1,000 had appeared in court. Courts have jailed 217 people after fast-track trials, he said, adding that the figure ‘is continuing to rise a lot’.
Speaking outside Fleury-Mérogis prison near Paris, Darmanin said half of those jailed had no criminal record and that most were men aged 18 to 25.
Some lawyers have criticised the fast-track hearings, accusing the government of putting pressure on judges to hand down harsher sentences.
Two people have also been arrested over an arson attack on the city hall in Limoges, according to French officials and media.
Local authorities have banned all protests planned for Saturday in Lyon, France’s second-largest city, where 200 to 300 shops were looted last weekend. Several other cities, including Grenoble, Rouen, Le Havre and Toulon, have restricted protests in their city centres.
In Paris, a student protest called for Thursday was banned, though AFP reported that an emergency court later overturned the ban. Transport authorities still closed central metro stations in anticipation of unauthorised gatherings.
The main student union, UNEF, has called rallies for Saturday, and the Yellow Vest movement has filed plans for a march through central Paris. According to AFP, organisers will be allowed to set off from Bastille in the east of the city but not to enter the centre. The interior ministry plans to deploy 20 per cent more police than last weekend.
Shops in central Paris have begun boarding up their windows, and luxury group Hermès has stepped up security at its stores in France, Reuters reported. A third consecutive night of local curfews passed without major incidents.
Trade unions are also planning a nationwide strike on 5 November over the cost of living and cuts to public services, after talks with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ended without a breakthrough.
The unrest is weighing on markets. Yields on France’s 10-year government bonds rose above those on equivalent U.S. Treasuries on Thursday for the first time since 2013, according to Reuters.
On 17 October, more than half a million people took part in protests across France. Violence on the fringes of those protests became some of the country’s worst urban unrest in years and raised questions about the security services’ ability to keep order.
The protests began last month over school staff shortages and have grown into a broader movement against soaring energy costs, pressure on household budgets and declining public services.
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