Macron Cracks Down on Protesters Blames Hard Left
Macron stated that rallies organized by groups including trade unions, would be allowed to go ahead but may be diverted along alternative routes to safeguard companies. He spoke following a meeting with intelligence officials and senior ministries. Last Saturday there were political and seditious acts by ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic,” he stated.
His comments came as authorities across France prepared for further protests following some of the country’s worst urban rioting in years.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said he intended to suspend the ability to vote for anyone who flouts rules on joining rallies, and to restrict access to social media for those involved in violence, looting or attacks on police.
Local authorities said all protests scheduled for Saturday in Marseille and Lyon, France’s second- and third-largest cities, have been canceled. But new protests are already being planned for what officials fear could be another turbulent weekend.
France’s major student union, UNEF, has called for demonstrations on Saturday, and the Yellow Vest movement, the anti-establishment force that emerged in 2018, has planned a march through downtown Paris.
Businesses in central Paris have begun covering up their shop windows in case of violence. Luxury goods group Hermes said it has increased security at its French locations.
Organizers announced that the renowned art collectors’ event Art Basel Paris, hosted in a central Paris exhibition hall, will be closed this weekend.
Elsewhere, officials in the northern city of Orleans were preparing for possible turmoil as the far-right National Rally was expected to host an annual convention and unions and left-wing groups planned rallies.
Authorities initially banned a student protest planned for Thursday in Paris, then allowed it to proceed. Still, transit authorities shut down metro stations in central Paris in preparation for illegal gatherings.
Violence on the outskirts of nationwide rallies shook France on October 17, exposing the depth of public discontent and raising worries about the security services’ ability to maintain order.
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