French President Emmanuel Macron urged prefects to block some demonstration applications and review union requests as France prepares fresh rallies and schedules talks with young people.
The Élysée said Macron asked prefects to reject applications from organizers he considers illegitimate, but offered no criteria for that judgment. Under existing law, prefects would review trade union applications and could propose alternative routes for marches to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings. The proposal continues Macron’s earlier call to restrict demonstrations outside unions.
Fresh rallies are planned for Saturday, Oct. 24, but local restrictions differ. Le Monde reported that the Paris police prefecture approved a Bastille-to-Nation march but planned to prohibit another demonstration involving students and some Yellow Vest activists. AFP reported protests were banned in Lyon and Marseille. The Associated Press said the Yellow Vest movement’s fuel-price protests shook France in 2018 and 2019.
AFP reported that 2,700 people had been arrested since Oct. 17, citing Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin. He said 217 people had been convicted and jailed, while another 1,000 were being prosecuted.
The Associated Press reported that concerns among high school students over school funding, deteriorating facilities and staff shortages helped start the movement, which later expanded to protests about living costs. The outlet also reported that a Paris administrative court overturned a police ban on a student demonstration on Thursday. The march went ahead, AP reported, but the ruling had not been made public immediately.
AFP and The Guardian reported that Macron was expected to chair a defense council on Friday, Oct. 23, to consider the government’s next steps. Macron said Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and the government would meet student and high school representatives on Monday, Oct. 26, alongside lawmakers and groups from education, labor, business and local government. The stated agenda centers on demands the government considers legitimate, with young people’s concerns receiving particular focus.
