France’s government is considering targeted bans on Oct. 24 demonstrations after the previous weekend’s turnout far exceeded its estimate, prompting officials to prepare a larger security operation.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told lawmakers that authorities expected 220,000 protesters on Oct. 17 and counted 550,000. The CGT union confederation estimated nationwide turnout at 800,000. Neither side reconciled the difference between their counts.
Nuñez said officials may ban undeclared gatherings they judge likely to threaten public order. Declared marches could also be prohibited if their organizers cannot satisfy authorities that the events will remain orderly. He announced no final list of restrictions.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the Oct. 17 deployment was too static and not mobile enough. Nuñez said 75 mobile-force units were deployed that day, three times the number used the previous weekend. Lecornu promised a large operation for Oct. 24 but gave no personnel total.
Nuñez said Operation Sentinelle troops would assume some guard duties, making police and gendarmes more available for crowd control. He cited the use of additional specialist units during unrest in July 2023 as a precedent for the response.
Damaged shops and lost stock have imposed costs on merchants and employees. Business Minister Serge Papin said affected firms could receive 100% coverage under a partial unemployment program, defer tax and social payments, and seek zero-interest loans through BPIFrance. Officials are working on a fund for businesses with fewer than 50 employees, he said.
The CGT linked the protests to living costs and demands concerning pay, pensions, education and public services. The CGT accused authorities of disproportionate policing and called for an inquiry into injuries among demonstrators. Lecornu alleged that far-left and ultra-left groups had planned an insurrectionary scheme in certain areas and said the government would provide evidence.
Lecornu plans to meet unions Oct. 21 and political groups Oct. 22, when he expects to review the security plan. The CGT has called for another day of strikes and demonstrations Nov. 5.
