Macron bans 'illegitimate' protests as France braces for more unrest
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that “illegitimate” protests would be banned in the coming days, as authorities prepare for further demonstrations after some of the country’s worst street unrest in years.
Issued on: 22/10/2026 - RFI
The announcement followed a meeting with intelligence chiefs and senior ministers at the Elysée presidential palace. Macron blamed last weekend’s riots and looting on ultra-left groups and vandals.
Demonstrations by trade unions would be allowed to go ahead but could be diverted along alternative routes to protect businesses, he said.
“Last Saturday we had political and seditious acts by ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic,” Macron said.
All protests planned for Saturday in Lyon have been banned, local authorities said. Protests planned for Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble were also banned.
Protest bans
The Paris ban cited the organiser’s “inability to prevent violence and vandalism”, a police source said. The protest had been organised by the inter-university assembly Interfac IDF.
The ban on Thursday runs from 8am to 8pm and covers key Paris landmarks, including the Elysée presidential palace, both houses of parliament, the Louvre museum and the Champs-Elysées.
Rallies are also prohibited at Bastille and République and in the Châtelet-Les Halles shopping area, which was heavily targeted by looters over the weekend.
Metro stations in central Paris were also closed in anticipation of unauthorised gatherings.
The authorities cited “serious risks of a breach of public order, particularly given the current context” in banning Thursday’s march in Lyon, where protesters destroyed the tourist office last weekend.
Thursday’s planned march was organised by the student union UNEF and the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA) as part of the secondary school and university student movement, which began in mid-September over poor conditions in schools.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that “illegitimate” protests would be banned in the coming days, as authorities prepare for further demonstrations after some of the country’s worst street unrest in years.
Issued on: 22/10/2026 - RFI
A masked protester stands on the statue of the Place de la Republique during a demonstration against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Paris on Saturday, 17 October. REUTERS - Jack Taylor
The announcement followed a meeting with intelligence chiefs and senior ministers at the Elysée presidential palace. Macron blamed last weekend’s riots and looting on ultra-left groups and vandals.
Demonstrations by trade unions would be allowed to go ahead but could be diverted along alternative routes to protect businesses, he said.
“Last Saturday we had political and seditious acts by ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic,” Macron said.
All protests planned for Saturday in Lyon have been banned, local authorities said. Protests planned for Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble were also banned.
Protest bans
The Paris ban cited the organiser’s “inability to prevent violence and vandalism”, a police source said. The protest had been organised by the inter-university assembly Interfac IDF.
The ban on Thursday runs from 8am to 8pm and covers key Paris landmarks, including the Elysée presidential palace, both houses of parliament, the Louvre museum and the Champs-Elysées.
Rallies are also prohibited at Bastille and République and in the Châtelet-Les Halles shopping area, which was heavily targeted by looters over the weekend.
Metro stations in central Paris were also closed in anticipation of unauthorised gatherings.
The authorities cited “serious risks of a breach of public order, particularly given the current context” in banning Thursday’s march in Lyon, where protesters destroyed the tourist office last weekend.
Thursday’s planned march was organised by the student union UNEF and the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA) as part of the secondary school and university student movement, which began in mid-September over poor conditions in schools.
A tram stop on fire in Strasbourg, one of several French cities where demonstrations over the cost of living crisis turned violent on 17 October. © REUTERS - Kai Pfaffenbach
Shops boarded up
The bans come as France prepares for another big demonstration on Saturday, organised by the Yellow Vest movement over the cost of living crisis.
UNEF has also called for rallies on Saturday, while the Yellow Vests have filed plans for a march through central Paris.
Businesses in central Paris have begun boarding up their shop windows. The luxury goods group Hermès said it had stepped up security at its French stores.
The government is seeking to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s street violence, when masked youths clashed with police, looted shops and vandalised public buildings. The unrest caused hundreds of millions of euros in damage, particularly in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Limoges.
Some 2,500 people have been taken into police custody, 174 have been jailed and another 917 have been formally prosecuted, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Wednesday.
The authorities had “lost control” during the street violence, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.
A “massive” security operation is planned for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said after meeting union representatives on Wednesday.
A third consecutive night of local curfews passed without major incidents in areas affected by the violence.
Further strikes
Representatives of political parties and mayors of some of the worst-affected cities are due to meet Lecornu on Thursday, a day after his discussions with trade unions.
The meeting with Lecornu produced no concrete proposals, union representatives said. They called on private and public sector employees to join another day of action on 5 November.
A “new phase” of protests, with strikes early next month, was needed, Sophie Binet, leader of the hardline CGT union, said following Wednesday’s meeting.
The student protests began last month at a high school in Créteil, southeast of Paris, over a lack of staff. Class strikes, blockades and demonstrations then spread to other Paris suburbs and across France.
Students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighbourhoods. Some have also called for reform of the university admissions system.
France’s neighbours Italy and Belgium have experienced similar unrest, although on a smaller scale. Italy’s government has ordered 500 troops to Milan to stem street violence there.
(with newswires)
Shops boarded up
The bans come as France prepares for another big demonstration on Saturday, organised by the Yellow Vest movement over the cost of living crisis.
UNEF has also called for rallies on Saturday, while the Yellow Vests have filed plans for a march through central Paris.
Businesses in central Paris have begun boarding up their shop windows. The luxury goods group Hermès said it had stepped up security at its French stores.
The government is seeking to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s street violence, when masked youths clashed with police, looted shops and vandalised public buildings. The unrest caused hundreds of millions of euros in damage, particularly in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Limoges.
Some 2,500 people have been taken into police custody, 174 have been jailed and another 917 have been formally prosecuted, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Wednesday.
The authorities had “lost control” during the street violence, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.
A “massive” security operation is planned for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said after meeting union representatives on Wednesday.
A third consecutive night of local curfews passed without major incidents in areas affected by the violence.
Further strikes
Representatives of political parties and mayors of some of the worst-affected cities are due to meet Lecornu on Thursday, a day after his discussions with trade unions.
The meeting with Lecornu produced no concrete proposals, union representatives said. They called on private and public sector employees to join another day of action on 5 November.
A “new phase” of protests, with strikes early next month, was needed, Sophie Binet, leader of the hardline CGT union, said following Wednesday’s meeting.
The student protests began last month at a high school in Créteil, southeast of Paris, over a lack of staff. Class strikes, blockades and demonstrations then spread to other Paris suburbs and across France.
Students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighbourhoods. Some have also called for reform of the university admissions system.
France’s neighbours Italy and Belgium have experienced similar unrest, although on a smaller scale. Italy’s government has ordered 500 troops to Milan to stem street violence there.
(with newswires)
Issued on: 21/10/2026 - FRANCE24
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has vowed a "massive" police deployment for the fresh demonstrations called for Saturday by the "Yellow Vest" movement. Facing angry lawmakers in parliament, Lecornu acknowledged that the security response had fallen short and promised a stronger approach ahead of this new wave of protests.
'Who are the vandals?' ask the French press after weekend riots
BY: Antonia KERRIGAN
FRANCE24
Cover image: Le Parisien takes us into the Paris courtroom, to lift a veil on who participated in the looting and vandalism of Saturday night. © FRANCE 24
Issued on: 21/10/2026 -
Issued on: 21/10/2026 -
Play (05:54 min)From the show
PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, October 21:
PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, October 21:
The identities of some 300 suspects from Saturday's riots are emerging in the Paris courts. Meanwhile, the far-left France Unbowed party has promised legal action against the French government for claiming the radical left was responsible for the degeneration of protests. Also, as the UN warns that global warming is on track to reach 2.6°C this century, the UK greenlights new drilling in the North Sea. Finally, we look at the literary trend of hate-reading.
French dailies Le Parisien and Libération describe chaotic scenes inside an overwhelmed Paris courthouse, where 300 alleged perpetrators in the weekend's riots had been referred for processing on Tuesday. Emotional parents looked on in shock, seeing their children accused of looting, while court sessions started late and were frequently adjourned due to procedural hiccups.
Meanwhile, the political blame game is afoot after the government accused the radical left France Unbowed party of being behind the protests, and investigative outlet Mediapart published allegations that territorial intelligence services had been instructed "word for word, to write that France Unbowed are behind the movement when it's false". Le Figaro brings us the news that the French interior minister has categorically denied giving any such instruction, and that the national co-ordinator of the party has promised legal action. Just six months before presidential elections, the unrest seems to have benefitted far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, according to a new poll in Le Figaro.
From a political crisis to the climate crisis: the UK government has given the green light to a new gas field off the coast of Scotland, The Herald explains, this despite a 2024 campaign commitment by the ruling Labour Party to issue no more new oil and gas licences for the North Sea. This comes on the same day as a UN report that projects 2.6°C of warming on pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, almost double the intended cap of 1.5°C.
Finally, The Washington Post has clocked onto the new trend of hate-reading: why read a good book when you could read one you know you won't enjoy? "It's a win-win", says a writer and librarian in Petersburg, Virginia: "Either you're vindicated, or you were wrong and you learned something."
French dailies Le Parisien and Libération describe chaotic scenes inside an overwhelmed Paris courthouse, where 300 alleged perpetrators in the weekend's riots had been referred for processing on Tuesday. Emotional parents looked on in shock, seeing their children accused of looting, while court sessions started late and were frequently adjourned due to procedural hiccups.
Meanwhile, the political blame game is afoot after the government accused the radical left France Unbowed party of being behind the protests, and investigative outlet Mediapart published allegations that territorial intelligence services had been instructed "word for word, to write that France Unbowed are behind the movement when it's false". Le Figaro brings us the news that the French interior minister has categorically denied giving any such instruction, and that the national co-ordinator of the party has promised legal action. Just six months before presidential elections, the unrest seems to have benefitted far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, according to a new poll in Le Figaro.
From a political crisis to the climate crisis: the UK government has given the green light to a new gas field off the coast of Scotland, The Herald explains, this despite a 2024 campaign commitment by the ruling Labour Party to issue no more new oil and gas licences for the North Sea. This comes on the same day as a UN report that projects 2.6°C of warming on pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, almost double the intended cap of 1.5°C.
Finally, The Washington Post has clocked onto the new trend of hate-reading: why read a good book when you could read one you know you won't enjoy? "It's a win-win", says a writer and librarian in Petersburg, Virginia: "Either you're vindicated, or you were wrong and you learned something."
BY: Antonia KERRIGAN
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